Burden of HIV Disclosure Falls on Uganda's Women

Uganda's Parliament is debating a bill that would give a person six weeks after testing positive for HIV to tell his or her partner before the government does. Adopted in much of West Africa, the law seeks to curb infection rates and empower victims of rape or abuse, say supporters.

But others note the measure disproportionately puts the burden of disclosure on women. Due to antenatal testing, women often find out about their HIV status before their husband, placing them at risk for violence or abandonment. "Many women cannot disclose their status to their partners because they fear violent assault or being thrown out of the home," said Edwin Cameron, a justice of the Supreme Court of Appeal in South Africa.

According to the Ugandan branch of the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, five women were murdered in 2008 because they were blamed for their husband's positive HIV test. Thousands more suffered abuse or eviction. In a survey of one district by ActionAid Uganda, 100 out of 465 women said they experienced domestic violence as a result of disclosing their status.

Exacerbating the situation is the fact that women often are unable to negotiate condom use or family planning. "We must change the social circumstances that will empower these women to say no when they wish and to insist on protection when they want to," said Cameron.

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