Introduction: Globally, women constitute 50% of all persons living with HIV. Gender inequalities are a key driver of women's vulnerabilities to HIV. This paper looks at how these structural factors shape specific behaviours and outcomes related to the sexual and reproductive health of women living with HIV.Discussion: There are several pathways by which gender inequalities shape the sexual and reproductive health and wellbeing of women living with HIV. First, gender norms that privilege men's control over women and violence against women inhibit women's ability to practice safer sex, make reproductive decisions based on their own fertility preferences and disclose their HIV status. Second, women's lack of property and inheritance rights and limited access to formal employment makes them disproportionately vulnerable to food insecurity and its consequences. This includes compromising their adherence to antiretroviral therapy and increasing their vulnerability to transactional sex. Third, with respect to stigma and discrimination, women are more likely to be blamed for bringing HIV into the family, as they are often tested before men. In several settings, healthcare providers violate the reproductive rights of women living with HIV in relation to family planning and in denying them care. Lastly, a number of countries have laws that criminalize HIV transmission, which specifically impact women living with HIV who may be reluctant to disclose because of fears of violence and other negative consequences.Conclusions: Addressing gender inequalities is central to improving the sexual and reproductive health outcomes and more broadly the wellbeing of women living with HIV. Programmes that go beyond a narrow biomedical/clinical approach and address the social and structural context of women's lives can also maximize the benefits of HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.

On the occasion of the International Day of the Girl Child (October 11), this commentary highlights the problem of violence against adolescent girls. It describes the nature and magnitude of violence faced by adolescent girls, what we know about factors that drive violence against women and against adolescent girls. It highlights the importance of promoting egalitarian gender norms, particularly during adolescence, and empowering women and girls in efforts to end such violence. Finally, it offers lessons learned from some promising interventions in this area.

Objective: The field of violence against women and girls (VAWG) prevention research has rapidly advanced, with ample evidence now demonstrating that VAWG is preventable. The aim of this systematic review of reviews is to update the evidence that underpins the RESPECT women framework with the newest available evidence from 2013 onward. Methods: Academic and non-academic databases were searched using terms related to VAWG prevention (January 2013–April 2022). Evaluations had to have a target population of women or girls aged 10 and older. Data were extracted from included reviews, and AMSTAR-2 was used to assess the risk of bias in systematic reviews. The primary outcome of interest was change in any form of VAWG, including physical, sexual and emotional intimate partner violence and sexual violence and harassment from non-partners, including child and adolescent sexual abuse. Results: From the thousands of articles screened, 178 were included in this study. Six (3%) reviews focused on interventions that aim to strengthen relationship skills, 14 (8%) focused on empowerment of women and girls, 79 (44%) on services for survivors, 5 (3%) on poverty reduction, 16 (9%) on creating safe environments, 36 (20%) on preventing child and adolescent abuse and 22 (12%) on transforming gender attitudes, beliefs and norms. Little new evidence has emerged to meaningfully change the nature and strength of evidence for interventions related to relationship skills strengthening and poverty reduction. However, there is new evidence to reflect the effectiveness of select types of interventions across settings in the other five strategies. Conclusion: Despite progress in VAWG prevention research, significant gaps in the evidence base persist. Further research is needed to explore intervention areas and marginalised populations in various contexts. Several programmatic approaches exhibiting efficacy in low-income and middle-income countries remain unexplored and unevaluated in high-income countries, and vice versa, warranting further adaptation and evaluation.

Engaging men and boys in sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and doing so in a way that challenges harmful masculinities, is both neglected and vital for improving the SRHR of both women and men. To address this gap, WHO commissioned a global research priority setting exercise on masculinities and SRHR. The exercise adapted the quantitative child health and nutrition research initiative priority setting method by combining it with qualitative methods. Influenced by feminist and decolonial perspectives, over 200 diverse stakeholders from 60 countries across all WHO regions participated. The exercise forges a collaborative research agenda emphasising four key areas: gender-transformative approaches to men's and boys' engagement in SRHR, applied research to deliver services addressing diversity in SRHR among men and women and to generate gender-equality, research designs to support participation of target audiences and reach to policy makers, and research addressing the priorities of those in low-income and middle-income countries.

(2019). Violence against women: where are we 25 years after ICPD and where do we need to go? Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters: Vol. 27, Open Issue, pp. 1-3.