Past

Globally, stigma and discrimination impede HIV prevention, testing and treatment efforts. Yet research by ICRW and others shows that stigma and discrimination can be reduced in different contexts, such as the community and health facilities, thus contributing to the success of HIV programs and services.

India’s National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) recognizes HIV-related stigma as a key challenge to controlling the epidemic. With support from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and in collaboration with NACO, ICRW designed and tested a strategic framework and implementation guidelines for stigma reduction in multiple settings in India. The framework built on one previously developed by a global working group made up of stigma experts and led by ICRW. The framework for India identifies key entry points for stigma-focused programming and measurement.  

ICRW also provided technical support to select organizations in applying the framework and guidelines for stigma reduction.  ICRW then collected data on the organizations’ experiences in applying the tools and used the information to finalize the strategic framework and implementation guidelines. The final tools as well as study outcome was widely disseminated to guide policymakers and practitioners in addressing HIV-related stigma and discrimination at the local and national levels.

Overall, ICRW found that the global framework was relevant to the Indian context and feasible for use by organizations and institutions in guiding stigma-reduction program development, implementation and measurement. Learning from the pilot interventions offers guidelines for broader implementation.

Son preference is well-documented in many countries of the Asia-Pacific region. Sons are seen as essential for the survival of the family and are given greater value than daughters, resulting in skewed sex ratios, female feticide and higher child mortality.

Previous ICRW research has shown that solutions to limit son preference must address the underlying parental motivations for son preference and sex selection. Men can play lead roles in transforming harmful cultural and traditional norms and practices, and it is critical to better understand their unique role in sex selection in order to form effective policies and programs to reduce this practice.

ICRW will partner with the United Nations Population Fund's (UNFPA) Asia and the Pacific Regional Office (APRO) to conduct a quantitative survey in Nepal and Vietnam of men’s attitudes towards gender equity, gender-based violence and son preference. The study will adapt the International Men and Gender Equality Survey (IMAGES), a comprehensive survey designed to measure men’s attitudes and behavior on gender, health, violence, family dynamics, fatherhood and other issues. The results of the survey will be widely disseminated to guide policies and programs that aim to reduce son preference practices.

Women’s economic empowerment is critical for reducing poverty and achieving broader health and development objectives. However, there is limited evidence on how programs can economically empower women and which measures can be used to know whether programs are effective.  

ICRW, with funding from the U.K. Department for International Development, created a conceptual framework for measuring women’s economic empowerment that takes into account their capacity to earn income as well as their ability to make decisions and control resources.

The framework reflects the latest thinking on economic empowerment, ICRW’s experience and discussions ICRW had with staff and participants during site visits to economic development programs in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos and Nepal. The framework also incorporates feedback from a workshop that ICRW convened with donors, multilateral institutions and implementing partners to discuss the applicability of the framework for measuring women’s economic empowerment.

Women and girls face unique barriers to accessing HIV prevention, treatment and care. As part of the Universal Access for Women and Girls Now! project, led by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), ICRW will examine the lives of women and girls in two unique settings in India: female sex workers in Maharashtra and wives of migrant men in Orissa. Research shows that these women are particularly vulnerable to HIV and AIDS, but there is still a need to know more about how best to minimize their risk and increase their access to services.  

Through surveys and in-depth interviews with these women, their spouses or partners and the health practitioners in the region, ICRW will explore the factors that prevent the women from accessing HIV and AIDS services. ICRW will coordinate with India’s National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) to develop an action plan to respond to the epidemic, and make recommendations on how to help women overcome legal, economic and social barriers to health services. 

ICRW, in collaboration with Pact Tanzania, TAMASHA and ViiV Healthcare's Positive Action, aims to understand and address the multiple HIV-related risks and vulnerabilities of girls ages 12-17 in four wards of Newala district in southern Tanzania.

Young women from these wards are trained in participatory research methods to conduct a situation analysis in their communities. The aim of this analysis is to better understand the gender-specific vulnerabilities of older girls to HIV.

Based on this information, ICRW and its partners work with the young researchers and community stakeholders to develop and assess a program model to meet the needs of older girls. The extent to which program activities are meeting these needs, and the opportunities and resources available to enhance programming is also assessed.

Evaluations of programs working to end violence against women note that there is a need for greater coherence between evidence, policy and programs. Although global research studies have shed light on intimate-partner violence, there are still many forms of violence against women which are not well documented or understood.

To address this, ICRW, worked in partnership with the Medical Research Council (MRC) of South Africa and the Gender-Based Violence Prevention Network, to promote action-oriented research on violence against women in East and Southern Africa. The initiative linked local implementing organizations with research institutions to conduct joint research on violence against women and apply the findings to improve programs. ICRW and MRC supported the research institutions as they provided technical assistance and oversight, mentoring and training for implementing organizations.

The initiative aimed to increase the capacity of local organizations to conduct rigorous research to improve their programs. Additionally, the research studies established a regional evidence base to inform policies and programs to eliminate violence against women. 

Women and girls are frequently subject to violence and abuse – from physical and verbal harassment to assault and rape – on city streets, public transportation or in their own neighborhoods. Such daily occurrences limit the rights and freedoms of women as equal citizens to enjoy their neighborhoods and cities.

ICRW worked with UNIFEM to develop ways to make public spaces safer for women and girls. The program, Safe Cities Free of Violence Against Women and Girls, was the first-ever global comparative effort to develop a model that was rigorously evaluated for its processes and impact across different settings. The goal of the program was to develop and test a global model which can be replicated and tailored to the specificities of local contexts.

ICRW collaborated with local partners on project design and the impact evaluation strategy. The project aimed to improve women’s safety by empowering women within the community, encouraging community advocacy for safer spaces, partnering with local governments, working with men and boys, and raising public awareness through the media.