Legal knowledge, needs, and assistance seeking among HIV positive and negative women in Umlazi, South Africa
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19517435 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Lauren M Hill (0000-0001-9444-4435), Lauren Hill (0000-0002-0220-7262, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, corresponding author), Suzanne Maman (0000-0003-4048-1585, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), David Holness (University of KwaZulu-Natal), Dhayendre Moodley (0000-0003-1849-9631, University of KwaZulu-Natal) |
| Year | 2016 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 3-3 |
| Publication date | 2016-12-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | BMC International Health and Human Rights (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1472-698X • E-ISSN: 1472-698X |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1186/s12914-016-0077-z |
| PMID | 26800890 |
| OpenAlex | W2291998339 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 17 |
BACKGROUND: The rights of women and people living with HIV (PLHIV) are protected under South African law, yet there is a gap in the application of these laws. While there are numerous systemic and social barriers to women's and PLHIV's exercise of their legal rights and rights to access social services, there has been little effort to document these barriers as well as legal needs and knowledge in this context. METHODS: 1480 HIV-positive and HIV-negative women recruited from an antenatal clinic in Umlazi Township completed a questionnaire on legal knowledge, experience of legal issues, assistance seeking for legal issues, and barriers to seeking assistance. We compared the legal knowledge and experience of legal issues of HIV-positive and HIV-negative women, and described assistance seeking and barriers to assistance seeking among all women. RESULTS: Both HIV-positive and HIV-negative women had high levels of knowledge of their legal rights. There were few important differences in legal knowledge and experience of legal issues by HIV status. The most common legal issues women experienced were difficulty obtaining employment (11 %) and identification documents (7 %). A minority of women who had ever experienced a legal issue had sought assistance for this issue (38 %), and half (50 %) of assistance sought was from informal sources such as family and friends. Women cited lack of time and government bureaucracy as the major barriers to seeking assistance. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate few differences in legal knowledge and needs between HIV-positive and HIV-negative women in this context, but rather legal needs common among women of reproductive age. Legal knowledge may be a less important barrier to seeking assistance for legal issues than time, convenience, and cost. Expanding the power of customary courts to address routine legal issues, encouragement of pro bono legal assistance, and introduction of legal navigators could help to address these barriers
Political science · Global Maternal and Child Health · HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions · Legal Education and Practice Innovations · Medicine
A Systematic Review of Risk Factors for Intimate Partner Violence
The socioeconomic determinants of HIV incidence
Service priorities and unmet service needs among people living with HIV/Aids
New insights into HIV epidemic in South Africa
The Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act 4 of 2000
Estimating wealth effects without expenditure data—or tears
Estimating Wealth Effects without Expenditure Data-or Tears
Customary Law and Domestic Violence in Rural South African Communities
| Citations per year | 0.17 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2020 - 2020 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |