Practice

In the SHAWNA project, 51% of women living with HIV report they would benefit from support to ensure their HIV medication consistency. Indigenous and racialized women were found to have higher barriers & less access to supports. Read SHAWNA's evidence-based recommendations on how to better support women living with HIV.

Women living with HIV in the SHAWNA Project experience extremely high levels of HIV stigma. 88% of participants have reported experiencing HIV stigma in their lifetime. Read SHAWNA's evidence-based recommendations on how to better support women living with HIV e.g. addressing non-consensual disclosure of HIV status by health providers.

This animation is based off SHAWNA research findings on the experiences and impact of incarceration among women living with HIV. The video highlights challenges and harms perpetuated through involvement in the criminal justice system, and speaks to the need for enhanced services and supports for women during and post-release from incarceration.

A SHAWNA policy brief demonstrating the need for more investment in the health of marginalized women who experience incarceration. Heightened experiences of HIV-related stigma within correctional facilities can lead to experiences of isolation and discrimination for women living with HIV. Implementing educational programs and reviewing institutional processes can help break down barriers to health care in prison settings.

A SHAWNA infographic showing the demographics of SHAWNA participants, who are women (cisgender and transgender) living with HIV who reside in or travel to Metro Vancouver to access HIV care services. Demographics include age, sexual orientation, gender identity, experience with stigma etc.

A SHAWNA infographic showing how criminalization, incarceration, and social and structural vulnerabilities are closely linked; the need to redress the overcriminalization of women living with HIV; and the need for interventions and release plans to be women-centred, include housing and substance use supports, and address the cyclical nature of violence and incarceration.

A SHAWNA infographic showing how and why trauma-informed care is essential for HIV health. Concludes with implications: Trauma-informed care is needed to support antiretroviral adherence; there is a requirement for responses to structural vulnerabilities that expose women to trauma such as incarceration and unstable housing; and chronic underfunding of HIV responses for women should be addressed.

A SHAWNA infographic showing percentages of SHAWNA participants who have experienced violence due to their HIV+ status and who have had their HIV+ status disclosed without their consent. Discusses non-consensual disclosure, HIV-related violence, physical or sexual violence, and difficulties taking antiretroviral medications. Includes implications that initiatives are needed to reduce HIV-related stigma and gender-based violence; rights to privacy and confidentiality must be ensured; and trauma-informed care is required for women living with HIV.

Through Our Own Eyes is a collection of photographs and reflections in which cis and trans women living with HIV express the lived realities of HIV disclosure, stigma, and criminalization. This publication was created and exhibited in September 2018 as part of a participatory, community-based photo-voice project by CGSHE's SHAWNA Team in collaboration with Afro-Canadian Positive Network of BC, Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network, Oak Tree Clinic at BC Women's Hospital, and YouthCO.