title: Gender-based violence and HIV: reviewing the evidence for links and causal pathways in the general population and high-risk groups.
abstract: A growing body of international research documents strong associations between gender-based violence and HIV, both in the general population and among high-risk subpopulations such as female sex workers. The causal pathways responsible are multiple and complex, thus conceptual clarity is needed to best inform population-based, clinical, and individually oriented interventions. Our brief overview is intended to provide an introduction to the research on the various mechanisms that link GBV to HIV risk. We review the evidence, describe the causal pathways, provide a conceptual framework, and outline prevention and intervention priorities at both the individual and population levels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education and Center for AIDS Research, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA. kdunkle@emory.edu
authors.forename: Kristin L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Dunkle
authors.forename: Michele R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Decker
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D012742:Sex Offenses; D060386:Sex Workers