Universal Access to HIV/AIDS Services

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 examined 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 explored the factors that prevent the women from accessing HIV and AIDS services. ICRW coordinated 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.