International Perspectives on Women and HIV

Throughout the world, the threat of HIV/AIDS to women's health has become the focus of increased concern. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (2004) reports that almost 20 million women and girls are living with HIV globally, accounting for nearly half of all people living with HIV worldwide. Infection rates among women are rising in every region worldwide including high-income countries in which heterosexual intercourse may now be the most common mode of transmission. Although there are many contributing factors to the current trends in HIV, most women who become HIV-infected do not practice "high-risk" behaviour. Women worldwide may individually view themselves as less susceptible than men, and may pay less attention about how HIV is transmitted and how to prevent infection. There are also gender inequalities, stemming from sexual double standards that constrain women's access to care, treatment, and support. This work focuses on international perspectives on women and HIV casting a deliberately wide net addressing the issue of the interaction between HIV and gender in a specific geographic area. Our intention is to provide a forum for innovative manuscripts whose contribution to the literature is found in their unique approach to this interaction and application of empirical investigation to unique problems and/or populations. This material was published in the Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment.

Samuel A. MacMaster is Associate Professor at the College of Social Work, University of Tennessee, USA. Brian E. Bride is Associate Professor at the School of Social Work, University of Georgia, USA. Cindy L. Davis is Associate Professor at the College of Social Work, University of Tennessee, USA.

- International Perspectives on Women and HIV: An Overview: An Overview Samuel A. MacMaster, Brian E. Bride, Cindy L. Davis, and Lisa Docktor - Rapid Ethnographic Assessment of HIV/AIDS Among Garifuna Communities in Honduras Miriam Sabin, George Luber, Keith Sabin, Mayte Paredes, and Edgar Monterroso - East African Mothers with HIV Jean Burke, Neema Peter Majule, George Ikongo, and Michael Burke - Analysis of HIV Caregivers in South Africa Lisa Webb-Robbins, and Zane Wilson - A model program for increasing treatment access for African American women who use crack cocaine and are at risk for contracting HIV Samuel Okpaku, Samuel MacMaster, Sheila Dennie, and Deon Tolliver - HIV prevention programs in the Black Church Schnavia Smith, Jeronda Davis, and Wilhelmena Lee-Ouga - Women, Economic Development and HIV/AIDS Lisa Webb-Robbins, and Na'ama Ben David - Gendered Economic, Social, and Cultural Challenges to HIV/AIDS Prevention and Intervention for Chinese Women Catherine So-kum Tang - Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviours Related to HIV and AIDS among Female College Students in Taiwan Wei-Chen Tung, Jie Hu, Cindy Davis, Wei-Kang Tung, and Yin-Mei Lin - Fallout from Communism: The role of Feminism in fighting HIV/AIDS among women in Russia Michael Humble, and Brian Bride - Culturally Grounded HIV prevention for Latina Adolescents in Border Areas Rodney Ellis, Lori Holleran, Samuel MacMaster, Laura Hopson, and Debra Nilson - Women in India: The context and impact of HIV/AIDS Sonal Doshi, and Bindi Ghandi