Stories of success in addressing
gender inequality
Svitlana Moroz
Eurasian Women’s Network on AIDS
24 July 2014, AIDS 2014
End the Violence: Break the Silence
With the overall goal to empower women who
use drugs to combat police violence, Eurasian
Harm Reduction Network in partnership with
women who use drugs and harm reduction
organizations from the 16 cities of EECA
implement the three-year regional Campaign
WOMEN AGAINST VIOLENCE. The first year of
the Campaign calls to break the silence and
report about cases of police violence.
Documenting Cases of Police Violence
During June 2014 121 reports about police violence
against women who use drugs were registered through
the online platform by campaign partners from
Georgia, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Ukraine.
Ukraine continues to take the lead in the number of
cases being reported. As in the previous month, the
majority of cases received under the category
“Threats and
intimidation”.
Campaign “We have opened our faces
for you to open your hearts to us!”
• Our aim is to reduce HIV-related stigma towards HIV+
women and increase tolerance.
• Implemented by Focus Media, Russia with financial support
from UNDEF
• Main activities: trainings, webinars, printed and video
materials, Media campaign, women’s conference in Minsk
CEDAW report in Ukraine (1)
• In 2014 first time Women living with HIV in Ukraine
(Positive Women NGO) are participating in preparation of
governmental CEDAW report as a part of the joint working
group established by the Ministry of Social Policy,
Department of Family, Gender Policy and combating
trafficking.
• Forms of work: oral presentations; materials’ submission;
written proposals.
• Thematic groups we participate in:
- Women and Healthcare
- VAW
- Women’s human rights
- Girls
CEDAW report in Ukraine (2)
What was included in the report:
- Surveys results on interlinks between HIV and Violence,
on SRHR, PLHIV Stigma Index, and Women’s rights in
prison
- Statement that lesbian and trans women are out of
care from the state and society
- Statement that communities and NGOs play significant
role in services provision for vulnerable women
Not included:
- Statement that HIV+ women have limited access to
assisted reproductive technologies, particularly IVF
- Statement that trans women face systematic
discrimination in the healthcare settings
CEDOW Report in Ukraine (3)
Next steps:
• CEDAW Shadow report of NGOs
• Create a mechanism for monitoring and
documenting violations of the rights of HIVpositive women and women vulnerable to HIV
• Networking and cooperation with the UN
Monitoring mission on Human Rights in
Ukraine
E.V.A. Russia
- EVA, the all-Russian network of women living with HIV,
has been working through federal-level advocacy for
several years to protect the rights of women who inject
drugs by trying to overcome structural forms of violence
and push for the development of appropriate drug and
HIV treatment programmes in Russia.
- EVA also has conducted research in several Russian
cities (such as Tomsk) that now have specific protocols to
support women who inject drugs, including protection
against violence.
- EVA is involved in lobbying for a law against violence in
Russia.
Local model of
Services delivery and integration
• Light of Hope, NGO (Poltava, Ukraine) mainstreamed
HIV prevention and care into services provision for
disadvantaged and vulnerable women, including
homeless, women who use drugs, ex-prisoners
• They combine financial support from different sources
– local government, UN agencies, international donors,
etc
• They provide community-led cost-effective
comprehensive and low threshold care for women,
including access to OST, ARV, TB and HCV diagnostics
and treatment