Women who have experienced some type of violence have 2.5% more likely to become infected with HIV

Santo Domingo. The Center for Gender Studies of INTEC (CEG-INTEC) opened on Tuesday 10 of January to the course "Unveiling the link between violence against women, children and HIV", first edition in Santo Domingo of a novel program of training that seeks to draw guidelines for the understanding and approach from its roots, of two pandemics that currently affect Dominican society in general.

The problems addressed in this course have a dramatic impact on the health and life of Dominican families and communities, especially on women. "This fact confirms the conclusion of one of the studies carried out recently in the country. It states that women who have experienced some type of violence have an 2.5% more likely to be infected with HIV, than those who have not had such experience, "said Lourdes Contreras, General Coordinator of CEG-INTEC.

Contreras also explained that this is because there are apparently obvious issues that are not always understood, even by those who live the problems, one of these being the risk of HIV infection in women living with their partners some of the characteristics of the risk direct, such as rape (in or out of wedlock), or as the consequences of incest, situations of trafficking or sexual exploitation of children, and even indirect risks, when it is unknown or there is not enough information for the prevention, and people are inhibited by fear of reactions of violence.

Participating in the course are service providers from the health, justice and childhood sectors, social organizations that work with these problems both in the Santo Domingo Province, as well as in the National District, and professionals among physicians (as), psychologists (as), forensic , social workers. Likewise, prosecutors, assistant prosecutors and defenders of children and adolescents in the justice sector.

There are also representatives of NGOs and social organizations with different types of responsibilities in the prevention and care of violence, and of STIs, in particular HIV and AIDS, and in the assurance of treatments for people living with this disease.

The program's training plan has the auspices of the United Nations Population Fund and of UNAIDS and it proposes to promote the implementation of the Link between Violence and HIV Strategy, defined in the Dominican Republic. It has been developing in different parts of the country such as Santiago and San Pedro de Macorís, continuing this week in Azua. All these areas are points of the national geography where organized social instances have articulated local networks towards the eradication of violence against women and child abuse.

In addition to Lourdes Contreras, the Academic Coordinator of CEG-INTEC, Desiree Del Rosario, the deputy representative of the Population Fund of Nations, Sonia Vásquez and Dr. José Del Cancer, Director of Maternal and Child Health and Adolescents were also present at the opening meeting. , from the Ministries of Public Health and Women.