Pregnant Women Horrified by Testing. 1/12/10

Experience of HIV counselling and testing at heath facilities humiliating, disrespectful and abusive.

A MAJORITY of pregnant women in a new study have found the experience of HIV counselling and testing at heath facilities humiliating, disrespectful and abusive.

The research was carried out earlier this year by human rights organisations - Aids Legal Network, Just Associates, and Justice and Women.

The study was based on narratives by women who had experienced HIV testing during pregnancy in KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape between 2007 and 2009.

It looked at the impact of their HIV status on their lives; and how women themselves would like to see HIV testing services in the future.

The report found that "scale-up of HIV testing is also often linked to a number of human rights concerns and challenges, especially if this scale-up is utilising a provider-initiated approach". It said that these concerns were around "the extent to which human rights, including the right to make an informed decision as to whether or not to test for HIV, can be protected in the context of provider-initiated testing".

Because women were most likely to access health services, they were "likely to experience rights abuses in the process of HIV testing and to face discrimination, violence and ostracism when disclosing their HIV status", the report said.

It said that testing added "another layer of risks" as the focus and pressure to test is largely on preventing vertical transmission to the infant.

The report said testing did not "necessarily focus on the rights of the individual to access information, to make an informed decision, to autonomy and to bodily integrity, as well as to privacy and non-discrimination".

Among its recommendations, the study said: "Addressing gender and power imbalances are crucial towards ensuring free and informed decision making in the context of HIV testing, without coercion and, or the fear of repercussions."