(Canadian Press/ CTV News) — A McGill University study has found that women who are victims of domestic violence are three times more likely to contract the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
The article published in ‘The Lancet HIV’ reveals that there is a strong link between gender-based violence and HIV epidemics in some of the most affected countries. Among women living with the virus, those who have experienced domestic violence in the past year are 10 per cent less likely to have an undetectable viral load, the final step in treatment.
“About one in four women will experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime,” said McGill University projessor and Canada Research chair in population health modelling Mathieu Maheu-Giroux. “In some countries, more than 40 per cent of women have experienced this kind of abuse in the past year.” (…)