IPV prevention must be integrated into HIV care

Abstract

Longitudinal research on intimate partner violence (IPV) and HIV in South Africa has shown that exposure to IPV is associated with an increased likelihood of women having HIV.1 In the country, an estimated one in four infections in women are due to IPV and partner controlling behaviour 1. South African research has also shown that abuse and neglect in childhood elevate the risk of HIV acquisition.2 Furthermore, women who have been raped in South Africa are at increased risk of HIV acquisition in the months after the rape,3 in addition to being at risk of HIV acquisition through the act of rape.