Investigations

PHR Research on HIV/AIDS

Over 40 million people are infected with the HIV/AIDS virus every year. It is the gravest public health crisis of our time. PHR researches and advocates for HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care programs grounded in science, responsive to local needs, and comprehensive in scope. In addition to safe and affordable health care, successful programs must include nutrition, education, and shelter along with the judicial and legal framework to protect the rights of women, children, and other vulnerable populations such as sex workers, men who have sex with men, injecting drug users, and poor and rural populations.

PHR reports on HIV/AIDS examine problems related to HIV prevention and treatment that include barriers to testing, migration and trafficking of women, brain drain of health professionals, and discrimination in health care settings.

In Epidemic of Inequality: Women's Rights and HIV/AIDS in Botswana & Swaziland, PHR examined gender-specific barriers to HIV prevention, testing, and treatment. PHR concludes that HIV/AIDS testing must assure true informed consent and human rights safeguards, and offer protection from HIV-related discrimination and partner violence related to testing.

No Status: Migration, Trafficking and Exploitation of Women in Thailand found that HIV prevention was hindered by corruption within the Thai government. The study showed how the lack of legal status of women engenders discrimination, exploitation, vulnerability to violence, and inability to access health care and other services. Subject to trafficking, sexual violence, and abuse, women and girls are frequently denied fundamental human rights and left vulnerable to HIV infection.

An Action Plan to Prevent Brain Drain: Building Equitable Health Systems in Africa details how the severe shortage of health care workers in Africa creates a huge barrier to preventing and treating AIDS. The report shows that economic justice is integral to fighting AIDS and proposes ways to staunch the hemorrhage of Africa's health professional seeking better paying jobs abroad.

In Nigeria, a PHR study found that many Nigerian health professionals work in facilities without sufficient medications, equipment, or materials needed to practice safe health care, and without adequate training on HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. As a result, people living with AIDS have experienced discrimination in the health sector.

Related links:

The Health Action AIDS Campaign

The Right to Health