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Women in abusive relationships are more likely to become infected with HIV than women in non-violent households, a South African study says.
Almost 1,400 women agreed to be tested for HIV and shared information about their home lives in interviews conducted at health centres in the Johannesburg township of Soweto.
The lead author of the report and University of Michigan epidemiologist, Kristin Dunkle, was quoted by Agence France-Presse as saying: "Women with violent or controlling male partners are at increased risk of infection. We postulate that abusive men are more likely to have HIV and impose risky sexual practices on partners."
It is estimated that half the 40 million people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide are women.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
