No Access to Services: The Struggle of Injection Drug Using Women in Abusive Relationships

Abstract

Women who experience violence and are at risk for HIV/AIDS are a multiply marginalized population which the majority of service providers ignore or feel they do not have the resources to deal with. Furthermore, while the Canadian government issues reports on violence against women, it does not provide an analysis of the intersection between violence HIV/AIDS. Women who are at risk for HIV due to injection drug use are particularly vulnerable when in a violent relationship; most women’s shelters have zero tolerance policies for substance use leaving these women isolated. By examining how substance use increases HIV risk for women who experience violence, the high risk behaviors associated with violence, and the high risk behaviors associated with substance use, multiply marginalized women’s needs become clearer. Service providers for multiply marginalized women must always consider the ramifications of their policies, as well as the ideologies that their policies are based on so that they can effectively help their target population. To address the needs of multiply marginalized women, drastic changes need to be made to the current shelter system: shelters need to examine their ideological foundation and analyze what stigmas their current policies support. Coordinated efforts are needed between multiple service providers to address the challenges that these often forgotten women face.