South Africa: : Abused women at a higher risk of HIV

Women in abusive relationships have a higher risk of being infected with HIV, a South African Medical Research Council study has found. Researchers said one in seven new HIV infections could be averted if women were not subjected to physical and sexual abuse or relationships inequalities. In a randomised trial they studied 1 099 HIV negative women in South Africa. Women were tested once over a period of two years. Face to face interviews were conducted with women to assess exposure to gender based violence and inequality in their relationships.