Learn MENA Project, ongoing since 2018, is the first project to explore and address the linkages between violence against women and HIV in the MENA region led by and for women living with and affected by HIV.
The project is a collaborative initiative implemented in seven countries: Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon and Sudan.
Its purpose is to highlight the interlinkages between HIV and Violence Against Women based on the participatory approach of the Actions Linking Initiatives on Violence Against Women and HIV Everywhere ALIV[H]E framework.
MENA Rosa conducted a series of community dialogues with WLHIV and WiTD, and a series of national gatherings with stakeholders (civil societies, UN agencies, inter-governmental bodies, community representatives) to develop national reports.
In addition, we conducted three awareness raising workshops in Egypt, Jordan and Morocco for WiTD on gender norms and gender equality, and interlinkages between HIV and VAW.
Then, in 2023, we conducted a regional consultation aiming to feed in an advocacy action plan for integration of HIV and Violence Against Women responses in MENA. The regional consultation convened 26 participants representing CSOs and communities of women in their diversity working in the fields of HIV and/or GBV. Then we developed a Position Statement signed by 14 national and regional networks and NGOs.
In parallel, MENA Rosa also developed two videos aiming to raise awareness on the interlinkages between Violence Against Women and HIV.
“I do not think I would have contracted HIV if I had lived without violence” Algerian woman, LEARN MENA. 74% of the women living with HIV who participated in the community dialogues conducted by MENA Rosa, had experienced violence from their husbands or intimate partners. Ending Gender-Based Violence is essential in HIV prevention strategies.
