AEGiS-14IAC: Marital violence in India: women's heightened vulnerability to HIV/AIDS.

14th International AIDS Conference

Barcelona, Spain - July 7-12, 2002

Marital violence in India: women's heightened vulnerability to HIV/AIDS.

Int Conf AIDS 2002 Jul 7-12; 14:(abstract no. WeOrE1284)

Go VF, Sethulakshmi CJ, Bentley ME, Sivaram S, Srikrishnan AK, Celentano DD, Solomon S
Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, United States

BACKGROUND: We examined how marital gender norms and power dynamics affect women's vulnerability to HIV/AIDS in Chennai slum communities.

METHODS: As part of a multi-site international behavioral HIV intervention trial, in-depth interviews with men and women (20 each) and focus groups of men and women (7 groups each) were conducted in 2 randomly selected slums in Chennai. Interviews were taped, transcribed, translated, coded and analyzed to identify recurrent themes.

RESULTS: Mean age was 28.0; most (98%) women were married. Participants noted that husbands hold decision-making power in economic, social and sexual spheres. Clear patterns of violence were present; respondents reported that husbands regularly beat wives in most marriages. Women described being slapped, kicked, having their head hit against the floor and being burned with lit cigarettes; some were struck with objects such as ladles or stones. Slapping or hitting the face was the most frequent type of violence and physical sequelae such as recurring headaches and blurred vision were noted. Disobeying husband or elders, neglecting household chores, refusing sex and suspected infidelity often triggered violence. Drinking often preceded explosive outbreaks of violence. Some women modified their behavior to avoid physical violence by engaging in silent passivity during verbal arguments and acquiescing to unwanted sex. Although most respondents felt wife beating was the norm, the acceptable intensity of violence varied by gender.

CONCLUSIONS: In Chennai slum communities, gender norms sanction often violent expressions of husbands' locus of control in the household. As women try to minimize exposure to violence, their ability to insist on monogamy, negotiate condom use or refuse sex is limited. HIV interventions should incorporate the social context in which they operate. As in other sites in this trial, prevention messages targeting men rather than women may effectively reduce women's risk of HIV.

Keywords: AEGIS, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, HIV Infections, HIV Seropositivity, Spouses, Violence, Marriage, Focus Groups, Interviews, Interpersonal Relations, Aggression, Power (Psychology), India, Adult, Human, Female, Male

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