Your report on the link between domestic violence and AIDS is not truly representative!
Aug 29, 2003
SIR— I wish to correct <br>your misrepresentation of what evidence is currently available on the links between domestic violence and HIV/AIDS spread in Uganda.
SIR— I wish to correct
your misrepresentation of what evidence is currently available on the links between domestic violence and HIV/AIDS spread in Uganda.
In your Women’s Vision last Tuesday, the article “Domestic violence linked to spread of HIV/AIDS†misreports
the Rakai Project findings
that were published in
the January edition of
the Bulletin of the World Health Organisation 2003, Vol 81(1). This publication can be viewed free of charge at
http://www.who.int/docstore/bulletin/pdf/2003/bul-1-E-2003/81(1)53-60.pdf.
I encourage those interested
in the topic to read the actual report instead of relying
on The New Vision’s
interpretation.
From a public health perspective, the potential intersection between violence against women and the transmission
of HIV/AIDS is of vital concern. However, in Uganda and many other countries, there is still need to better understand how and if domestic violence does, in fact, contribute to the spread of the disease.
To answer this question,
accurate and comparable data are needed to strengthen
advocacy efforts, help
policy-makers understand
the problem, and guide
the design of preventive
intervention.
The information gathered
by Human Rights Watch, although qualitatively rich,
is not representative
of the entire population
of Uganda.
It is therefore misleading
to frame such a report as
a conclusive document
that merits comparison
with valid, unbiased,
epidemiological research.
Jennifer Wagman
Rakai Project,
Kalisizo, Rakai District
your misrepresentation of what evidence is currently available on the links between domestic violence and HIV/AIDS spread in Uganda.
In your Women’s Vision last Tuesday, the article “Domestic violence linked to spread of HIV/AIDS†misreports
the Rakai Project findings
that were published in
the January edition of
the Bulletin of the World Health Organisation 2003, Vol 81(1). This publication can be viewed free of charge at
http://www.who.int/docstore/bulletin/pdf/2003/bul-1-E-2003/81(1)53-60.pdf.
I encourage those interested
in the topic to read the actual report instead of relying
on The New Vision’s
interpretation.
From a public health perspective, the potential intersection between violence against women and the transmission
of HIV/AIDS is of vital concern. However, in Uganda and many other countries, there is still need to better understand how and if domestic violence does, in fact, contribute to the spread of the disease.
To answer this question,
accurate and comparable data are needed to strengthen
advocacy efforts, help
policy-makers understand
the problem, and guide
the design of preventive
intervention.
The information gathered
by Human Rights Watch, although qualitatively rich,
is not representative
of the entire population
of Uganda.
It is therefore misleading
to frame such a report as
a conclusive document
that merits comparison
with valid, unbiased,
epidemiological research.
Jennifer Wagman
Rakai Project,
Kalisizo, Rakai District