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Gender-based Violence

HP+ More recent Gender-based Violence publications are available.

  • Developed with support from the USAID-funded Health Policy Project, A Guide for Advocating for Respectful Maternity Care is a comprehensive resource centered on the Respectful Maternity Care charter, a groundbreaking consensus document that demonstrates the legitimate place of maternal health rights within the broader context of human rights. Written for national-level advocates, this guide presents a variety of ways to (1) build a sense of entitlement among women and communities regarding respectful maternity care (RMC) and (2) advocate for the institutionalization of RMC as a core value of the maternal care system. Specifically, the guide provides information and user-friendly tools and techniques to help advocates

    • Raise awareness and generate demand from civil society for RMC rights;
    • Mobilize communities to hold local leaders and service providers accountable for RMC rights; and
    • Secure commitment at the national level to institutionalize RMC as the standard of care.

    Also available for download as individual documents are the charter, titled Respectful Maternity Care: The Universal Rights of Childbearing Women, and accompanying brochure and poster (in English, Arabic, French, and Spanish).

  • The Blueprint for the Provision of Comprehensive Care for Trans People and Trans Communities in Asia and the Pacific (the Blueprint) is a document with far-reaching potential and applications in trans health and human rights in the region. The purpose of the Blueprint is to strengthen and enhance the policy-related, clinical, and public health responses for trans people in Asia and the Pacific. The primary audience for the Blueprint is health providers, policymakers and governments. The information within the Blueprint could also serve donors, bi- and multilateral organizations and trans and other civil society organizations.

    The Asia Pacific Transgender Network (APTN), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the USAID-funded Health Policy Project (HPP) collaboratively developed the Blueprint. This document is the third in a series of regional trans health Blueprints, and builds on what was produced in Latin America and the Caribbean by the Pan American Health Organization, the Regional Office of the World Health Organization for the Americas.

  • HPP worked with the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Women’s Rights (MCFDF) to publish the White Paper on the status of women in Haiti, which presents findings and recommendations from county and national-level participatory fora on 5 key themes for women in Haiti: education, health, leadership and political participation, economy, and justice. The briefs present key findings and bring together data from a wide array of sources. They are intended to be a quick reference for a broad audience, including advocates, policymakers, health sector stakeholders, and development partners. 

  • The Government of Tanzania (GoT) has recognized the need to stop gender-based violence and strengthen services for survivors of GBV. In 2011, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MoHSW) developed management guidelines for GBV services delivered within the health care setting and began training service providers in accordance with these guidelines. In 2012, with support from the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through its Gender-based Violence Initiative (GBVI), the MoHSW began a phased rollout of these guidelines through training and facility support. The GBVI was aimed at strengthening coordination of GBV prevention and response efforts and their integration within existing HIV interventions. As the MoHSW moves forward with scale-up of the national guidelines, policymakers and program managers have identified the need to better understand the costs associated with GBV service delivery – for the purposes of estimating resource requirements for scale-up and also for exploring factors that drive the costs of GBV service delivery. The purpose of this study was to estimate the cost of delivering GBV services per client encounter at public health facilities in Tanzania and to understand the cost drivers of GBV service delivery in order to inform scale-up policies and planning. 

  • The purpose of this guidance manual is to outline steps for estimating the cost of post-GBV services at the health-facility level. It provides the user with practical steps for conducting a costing study, including preparing for data collection, collecting and managing data, and analyzing and using the results. It provides detailed instructions on how to use the GBV Program Cost Calculator, an MS Excel-based tool developed under the Health Policy Project (HPP) that enables the use to generate unit cost estimates of providing health facility-based post-GBV interventions to a single client during one health facility visit. The cost data generated from these steps are meant to represent the cost of providing services and not on the cost to the client for seeking services. The results on the cost of post-GBV services generated from implementing these steps are to support program managers, policy makers, funding partners and government ministries to plan and scale-up GBV intervention services.

  • The public health community increasingly recognizes the importance of incorporating strategies to address gender equality in programs to improve health outcomes for women, men, and children. To strengthen gender integration efforts in the island nation of Timor-Leste, the Gender, Policy, and Measurement (GPM) program, funded by the USAID Asia and Middle East (A/ME) Bureaus, undertook a gender assessment. The GPM program is implemented by the Health Policy Project and MEASURE Evaluation. The assessment aimed to discover the normative, socioeconomic, and political variables that impede or facilitate utilization of health services in Timor-Leste. This analysis can be used by donors and implementing organizations to incorporate gender into the formulation, implementation, and evaluation of family planning and maternal, neonatal and child health programs.

  • Among the many efforts of the Government of Malawi to prevent and respond to GBV, the Department of Gender Affairs from the Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare currently is working to improve GBV data systems and data use. As a part of this effort, the USAID-funded Health Policy Project has conducted a literature review to help to contribute to a better-informed national GBV response through identification and synthesis of existing studies and key government documents on gender-based violence in Malawi.

    The literature review was conducted primarily using online search methods and then followed-up with collection of documents not available online by country partners as needed. The literature was conducted to help answer how, in Malawi: GBV is defined and measured and see whether or not definitions are comparable throughout the literature; look at the prevalence rates of the various forms of GBV and how they compare across data sources; find out what information is available on GBV among specific populations or in specific settings; what factors are associated with GBV; what the impact of GBV is; what information is available on interventions and effectiveness; and what the key government documents on GBV are and how they address the issue.

  • PEPFAR’s Gender-Based Violence Initiative (GBVI) is implementing comprehensive gender-based violence (GBV) programming in three countries: Mozambique, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. As part of this initiative, the USAID- and PEPFAR-funded Health Policy Project (HPP)  collaborated with 12 grassroots organizations in Mozambique to integrate GBV prevention activities into existing HIV programs as a way to reduce GBV and prevent the spread of HIV—particularly among women, orphans, and vulnerable children. As HPP’s support to the NGOs ended the project systematically assessed the outcomes of the capacity development efforts at the community level. HPP documented the extent to which local program staff responded to GBV trainings, implemented gender- and GBV-integrated program design, and executed prevention and response mechanisms. The project also documented the community members’ attitudes toward and knowledge of gender equality and GBV. This report presents the findings of the assessment and documents the project’s successes, challenges, and lessons learned in its efforts to build GBV capacity in Mozambique.

  • The Health Policy Project assembled a technical team to facilitate a three-day workshop on integrating gender and gender-based violence (GBV) into HIV prevention and OVC programs for Mozambican organizations in Maputo in February 2012. The worshop applied five participatory and interactive modules to build the capacity of participants to use practical skills and tools to integrate GBV prevention and responses into existing HIV programs. The training methodologies sought to explicitly reveal the links between GBV and HIV risk and increase skills to integrate evidence-based gender and GBV practices into existing HIV programs. The workshop's results demonstrated the great interest in and need for GBV integration into current programs. They also informed the development of capacity-strengthening plans for each of the seven participating NGOs and provided a foundation for addressing gender and GBV in HIV programs for staff of the FHI-360 Capable Partners Program (CAP). 

  • In Jamaica, marginalized and key populations including men who have sex with men (MSM) and sex workers experience high levels of HIV and gender based violence (GBV). Stigma and criminalization contribute to violence experienced by key populations, and it further undermines access to HIV prevention and health services. Integrated HIV/GBV services that are client-friendly would alleviate barriers to services yet services and referral networks are inconsistent and largely unavailable in Jamaica. In 2012, Woman, Inc., with support from the USAID- and PEPFAR-funded Health Policy Project (HPP), undertook a pilot intervention in Jamaica to examine the feasibility for integrating GBV and HIV services in health clinics through development of a screening and referral process. This poster summarizing the study was presented at the 20th International AIDS Conference in Melbourne, Australia, in July 2014.

  • In Jamaica, Woman Inc., with support from the Health Policy Project (HPP), implemented a pilot project to assess the feasibility of integrating screenings and referrals for gender-based violence (GBV) with clinical services for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. The links between GBV and HIV are widely acknowledged, but relatively few people access services for GBV, especially women and key populations with high HIV burdens such as men who have sex with men and sex workers. The pilot project involved gender training for healthcare providers and community agencies, adaptation and implementation of a GBV screening tool, and mapping and strengthening of GBV referral systems. The findings, summarized in this brief, indicate that the pilot enhanced the capacity of HIV healthcare providers to improve access to GBV support services and better meet the needs of their patients, especially women and key populations.

  • In June 2014, government of Haiti passed a new law against human trafficking. The main purpose of the legislation was to minimize the incentives for people to become human traffickers. The act establishes penalties for trafficking-related crimes, including imprisonment for up to 15 years, and fines of more than US$30,000. Prior to the passage of this law, there were no provisions in the Haitian legal framework that criminalized trafficking in persons. The USAID-funded Health Policy Project AKSE program published this law to disseminate the content of this important legal instrument and help protect survivors of trafficking. It is intended for use by judges, lawyers, and human rights-focused NGOs, and is used by HPP AKSE to train judicial actors, in partnership with the Haitian government

  • Malawi's Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare recognizes the breadth and seriousness of intimate partner violence and coordinates the national response to end this violence and strengthen support for survivors. To aid the ministry’s efforts, the Health Policy Project (funded by USAID and PEPFAR) reviewed research, program reports, and government documents to produce a profile of what is documented about intimate partner violence (and gender-based violence, more generally) in Malawi, how the problem has been handled to date, and where action is needed most urgently. The findings are the basis for this brief.

  • Males who have sex with males (MSM), transgender (TG) people, and sex workers (SWs) are at higher risk for HIV transmission than other individuals, even in generalized epidemics. Structural and policy issues have created barriers for MSM/TG/SWs in seeking services and adopting individual and community harm reduction strategies. Published by the Health Policy Project and the African Men for Sexual Health and Rights (AMSHeR), with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the Policy Analysis and Advocacy Decision Model for HIV-Related Services: Males Who Have Sex with Males, Transgender People, and Sex Workers is a collection of tools that helps users assess and address policy barriers that restrict access to HIV-related services for MSM/TG/SWs.

    Designed to help country stakeholders build a public policy foundation that supports access to and implementation and scale-up of evidence-informed services for MSM/TG/SWs, the Decision Model helps to clearly identify and address policy barriers to services. Its policy inventory and analysis tools draw from the extensive body of international laws, agreements, standards, and best practices related to MSM/TG/SW services, allowing the assessment of a specific country policy environment in relation to these standards. This customizable, in-depth, and standardized approach will build stakeholders’ capacity to identify incremental, feasible, near-term opportunities to improve the legal environment and the resulting quality of and access to services for MSM/TG/SWs while long-term human rights strategies are implemented.

    A companion decision model geared specifically toward people who inject drugs (Policy Analysis and Advocacy Decision Model for HIV-Related Services: People Who Inject Drugs) is also available in English and Russian. 

  • The Policy Analysis and Advocacy Decision Model for Services for People Who Inject Drugs (PWID) is a collection of tools designed by the USAID-funded Health Policy Project and the Eurasian Harm Reduction Network to help stakeholders create an inventory of country policies, analyze these policies against international best practices and human rights frameworks, assess policy implementation, and create a strategic advocacy plan. The primary goal of the model is to identify the policies that most directly affect access to and sustainability of key PWID services and the needs and opportunities for policy advocacy that will improve access to services, even while larger, long-term human rights policies remain deficient.

    The Decision Model is intended for global application but includes special attention to the policy issues facing Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Stakeholders can use the tools to identify restrictive, poorly written, and absent policies that impact the access to and sustainability of key services for PWID including HIV counseling and testing, antiretroviral therapy, hepatitis and tuberculosis services, opioid substitution therapy, and needle and syringe programs. These services are analyzed within the settings of community-based programs, pre-trial detention, prison, and institutions that have custody of minors. The policy areas under consideration are extensive, with more than 1,300 policy points for analysis. Policy areas include service coordination; data use and decisionmaking; participation of PWID in decisionmaking, service delivery and evaluation; consent; personal data; stigma and discrimination; criminal sanctions; gender-based violence; human rights; procurement and supply management; eligibility; funding; and service delivery protocols.

    A companion decision model geared specifically toward males who have sex with males, transgender people, and sex workers (Policy Analysis and Advocacy Decision Model for HIV-Related Services: Males Who Have Sex with Males, Transgender People, and Sex Workers) is also available. 

  • The Policy Analysis and Advocacy Decision Model for Services for Key Populations in Kenya provides stakeholders—including policy makers, service providers, and advocates—with tools to assess and advocate policies that govern accessibility and sustainability of services for key populations (men who have sex with men, sex workers, people who inject drugs, and transgender people). By comparing existing Kenyan policies to the global normative guidelines and best practices, the model reveals gaps and challenges in implementation. This document, prepared by the USAID and PEPFAR-funded Health Policy Project for the National AIDS Control Council of the Ministry of Health, analyzes more than 120 policy and program documents related to HIV and key populations.  It also makes policy recommendations for enhanced service scale-up and uptake by key populations in Kenya. 

  • This USAID-funded assessment, conducted in Togo, is the second country application of the Health Policy Project (HPP) and African Men for Sexual Health and Rights (AMSHeR) Policy Analysis and Advocacy Decision Model for HIV-Related Services: Males Who Have Sex with Males, Transgender People, and Sex Workers (Beardsley et al., 2013). The current application of the Decision Model in Togo complements the pilot application conducted in 2012 in Burkina Faso. It was designed as an in-depth policy analysis of the legal, regulatory, and policy environment related to sex workers (SW), men who have sex with men (MSM), and prison populations in Togo to uncover gaps in policy and practical challenges to policy implementation. Beginning in June 2013, the HPP principal investigator, a legal expert from AMSHeR, and a team of local consultants conducted a document review and assessment. The team collected an inventory of 116 source policy and program documents and previous policy and program research related to HIV and/or key populations. Upon completion of the inventory, the team conducted 21 key informant interviews to examine the policy environment and assess dissemination and implementation of current policies, particularly gaps in dissemination and implementation that pose barriers to service access for key populations. The HPP policy analysis and key informant interviews confirmed that positive changes related to HIV prevention, care, and treatment are occurring in Togo. Initial steps are being taken to develop policies that recognize key populations and aim to improve access to services for them. Significant opportunities exist to further progress, including the USAID-funded Regional Project for the Prevention and Care of HIV/AIDS in West Africa (PACTE-VIH) and open support from the president of Togo and the permanent secretary for the National AIDS Council. However, critical gaps in policy, dissemination, and implementation remain and are highlighted in this report.

    Read the brief on this topic.

  • The Health Policy Project designed this training manual for civil society organizations implementing HIV prevention and orphan and vulnerable children (OVC) care and support programs in Mozambique. The manual aims to raise awareness and sensitize participants on the concepts and interlinkages between gender inequality, HIV, and gender-based violence (GBV). By doing so, the organizations will better understand and appreciate the influence of gender and violence on HIV- and OVC–related issues and will be in a better position to develop and implement program strategies and interventions that will promote gender equality and help prevent GBV. The manual contains eight sessions covering a range of topics from a basic introduction to gender to developing a multisectoral response to gender-based violence.

  • As global leaders look more critically at how to simultaneously advance women’s health and rights, particularly in light of the Sustainable Development Goals, it is important to examine where the momentum for respectful maternity care has led thus far, lessons learned in the process, and essential components that must be prioritized moving forward. This USAID-funded Health Policy Project and White Ribbon Alliance policy brief – informed by program documents, global and national policies, and interviews with key stakeholders who have worked for years to advance attention to this issue – seeks to review progress and provide recommendations for advancing maternity care that places women at the center. 

  • The USAID-funded Health Policy Project (HPP) conducted a readiness assessment in Mozambique to see if would be possible and useful to conduct a costing study of post-GBV Care Services. Broadly the readiness assessment was designed to assess if there is a shared understanding about GBV and the need to scale up services. On a narrower level, the readiness assessment looked specifically at whether the data and information needed to apply HPP’s GBV Cost Calculator are available . The Calculator was initially developed and tested using the GBV management guidelines for the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare for the United Republic of Tanzania, which has invested heavily in standardized care protocols, training and data collection. The assessment highlights several important challenges to conducting a GBV costing study in Mozambique as well as some clear opportunities. The challenges include a lack of agreement about what constitutes GBV, a lack of protocols on what constitutes a GBV facility, and  a deficiency in national data collection protocols. The opportunities are reflected in a policy environment that offers a range of multisectoral and health sector policy documents and in the commitment by donors and the government of Mozambique to expand the quality and accessible of support for GBV survivors. 

  • In every country and community worldwide, pregnancy and childbirth are momentous events in the lives of women and families and represent a time of intense vulnerability. As part of an overall effort to promote respectful maternity care, the Health Policy Project and White Ribbon Alliance have launched the Respectful Maternity Care Charter, based on the principle that respectful maternity care is every woman's right. A broad group of stakeholders representing research, clinical, human rights, and advocacy perspectives came together in a community of concern to develop this charter, which addresses the issue of disrespect and abuse among women seeking maternity care and provides a platform for improvement through seven distinct articles that clarify the rights of childbearing women. Improving the quality of care for women is an essential component in our work to improve maternal health worldwide.

    This brochure summarizes the key points and articles of the charter, titled Respectful Maternity Care: The Universal Rights of Childbearing Women, and is accompanied by a poster. Also available is A Guide for Advocating for Respectful Maternity Care, which provides national-level advocates with information, tools, and techniques to (1) raise awareness and demand for respectful maternity care (RMC), (2) hold local leaders and services providers accountable, and (3) secure commitments to institutionalize RMC as the standard of care.

  • In every country and community worldwide, pregnancy and childbirth are momentous events in the lives of women and families and represent a time of intense vulnerability. As part of an overall effort to promote respectful maternity care, the Health Policy Project and White Ribbon Alliance have launched the Respectful Maternity Care Charter, based on the principle that respectful maternity care is every woman's right. A broad group of stakeholders representing research, clinical, human rights, and advocacy perspectives came together in a community of concern to develop this charter, which addresses the issue of disrespect and abuse among women seeking maternity care and provides a platform for improvement through seven distinct articles that clarify the rights of childbearing women. Improving the quality of care for women is an essential component in our work to improve maternal health worldwide.

    This charter is accompanied by a summary brochure and poster and is supported by A Guide for Advocating for Respectful Maternity Care, which provides national-level advocates with information, tools, and techniques to (1) raise awareness and demand for respectful maternity care (RMC), (2) hold local leaders and service providers accountable, and (3) secure commitments to institutionalize RMC as the standard of care.

  • In every country and community worldwide, pregnancy and childbirth are momentous events in the lives of women and families and represent a time of intense vulnerability. As part of an overall effort to promote respectful maternity care, the Health Policy Project and White Ribbon Alliance have launched the Respectful Maternity Care Charter, based on the principle that respectful maternity care is every woman's right. A broad group of stakeholders representing research, clinical, human rights, and advocacy perspectives came together in a community of concern to develop this charter, which addresses the issue of disrespect and abuse among women seeking maternity care and provides a platform for improvement through seven distinct articles that clarify the rights of childbearing women. Improving the quality of care for women is an essential component in our work to improve maternal health worldwide.

    This poster presents the central articles of the charter, titled Respectful Maternity Care: The Universal Rights of Childbearing Women, and is accompanied by a summary brochure. Also available is A Guide for Advocating for Respectful Maternity Care, which provides national-level advocates with information, tools, and techniques to (1) raise awareness and demand for respectful maternity care (RMC), (2) hold local leaders and services providers accountable, and (3) secure commitments to institutionalize RMC as the standard of care.

  • A literature review was conducted to identify and collect existing frameworks and other analytical tools for assessing gender factors within the health policy environment and health programs. Gender tools for family planning/reproductive health (FP/RH), HIV, and maternal and child health were the primary focus. The review, however, also included a search for relevant gender analysis tools outside these health domains and relevant areas outside the health sector. The results of the literature review are intended for use by Health Policy Project (HPP) staff to assist in strengthening gender approaches across HPP core and field support programs.

  • In the Caribbean, transgender persons are disproportionately affected by HIV. Moreover, high levels of stigma and discrimination create significant barriers and make it difficult for them to access the health care services they need. Most clinicians in this region also do not receive any training on transgender health or broader issues of sexuality and diversity, further limiting availability of transgender-friendly services.

    In response, HPP has developed a training manual for healthcare workers in Jamaica, Barbados, and the Dominican Republic to strengthen their capacity to provide high-quality, stigma-free health services for transgender persons. This brief highlights key content from each of the chapters contained in the manual.

  • The Gender, Policy and Measurement program, funded by the Asia bureau of the U.S. Agency for International Development and implemented by the Health Policy Project (HPP) and MEASURE Evaluation, undertook a comprehensive, systematic review of the impact of gender-integrated programs on health outcomes. The findings are primarily intended to inform the work of government officials, donors, nongovernmental organizations, and other key stakeholders involved in health programming in India, as well as other low- and middle-income countries around the world.

    This review presents evidence showing how gender-integrated programming influences health outcomes in low- and middle-income countries: in particular, reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child, and adolescent health; HIV prevention and AIDS response; gender-based violence; tuberculosis; and universal health coverage.

    To read the full report—Transforming Gender Norms, Roles, and Power Dynamics for Better Health: Findings from a Systematic Review of Gender-integrated Health Programs in Low- and Middle-Income Countries—please visit www.healthpolicyproject.com?zp=381.

  • The Gender, Policy and Measurement program, funded by the Asia bureau of the U.S. Agency for International Development and implemented by the Health Policy Project (HPP) and MEASURE Evaluation, undertook a comprehensive, systematic review of the impact of gender-integrated programs on health outcomes. The findings are primarily intended to inform the work of government officials, donors, nongovernmental organizations, and other key stakeholders involved in health programming in India, as well as other low- and middle-income countries around the world.

    This review presents evidence showing how gender-integrated programming influences health outcomes in low- and middle-income countries: in particular, reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child, and adolescent health; HIV prevention and AIDS response; gender-based violence; tuberculosis; and universal health coverage.

    This report was authored by Arundati Muralidharan, Jessica Fehringer, Sara Pappa, Elisabeth Rottach, Madhumita Das, and Mahua Mandal.

    To read the subject briefs associated with this report, please visit: http://www.healthpolicyproject.com/index.cfm?id=publications&get=pubID&pubId=382. 

  • Ukraine has one of the fastest growing HIV epidemics in the world, and the number of HIV cases diagnosed in the country has doubled since 2001 (UNAIDS, 2010). Ukraine’s epidemic remains concentrated among most-at-risk populations (MARPs)—with over 80 percent of reported HIV cases occurring in these groups (PEPFAR, 2010). In this context, the Health Policy Project evaluated the degree to which an enabling policy framework for HIV exists in Ukraine, with a focus on HIV prevention among MARPs. The project interviewed 72 key informants regarding the policy environment and policy dissemination and implementation at the national and subnational levels. This assessment findings indicate a strong enabling environment, but one that has gaps and barriers, such as lack of operational guidelines to support the implementation of HIV laws and regulations. Building on the joint U.S. and Ukraine Governments’ Partnership Framework, the findings reveal new possibilities for developing effective mechanisms to support the implementation and enforcement of HIV-related regulations in Ukraine.

  • Ukraine has one of the fastest growing HIV epidemics in the world, and the number of HIV cases diagnosed in the country has doubled since 2001 (UNAIDS, 2010). Ukraine’s epidemic remains concentrated among most-at-risk populations (MARPs)—with over 80 percent of reported HIV cases occurring in these groups (PEPFAR, 2010). In this context, the Health Policy Project evaluated the degree to which an enabling policy framework for HIV exists in Ukraine, with a focus on HIV prevention among MARPs. The project interviewed 72 key informants regarding the policy environment and policy dissemination and implementation at the national and subnational levels. This assessment findings indicate a strong enabling environment, but one that has gaps and barriers, such as lack of operational guidelines to support the implementation of HIV laws and regulations. Building on the joint U.S. and Ukraine Governments’ Partnership Framework, the findings reveal new possibilities for developing effective mechanisms to support the implementation and enforcement of HIV-related regulations in Ukraine.

  • Ukraine has one of the fastest growing HIV epidemics in the world, and the number of HIV cases diagnosed in the country has doubled since 2001 (UNAIDS, 2010). Ukraine’s epidemic remains concentrated among most-at-risk populations (MARPs)—with over 80 percent of reported HIV cases occurring in these groups (PEPFAR, 2010). In this context, the Health Policy Project conducted an assessment to evaluate the degree to which an enabling policy framework for HIV exists in Ukraine, with an emphasis on HIV prevention among MARPs. The project carried out 72 key informant interviews regarding the policy environment and policy dissemination and implementation at the national and subnational levels. This report summarizes the assessment findings, which indicate a strong enabling environment but one that has gaps and barriers related to policy implementation and operational guidelines. Also see the Annex Addendum for more information.

  • Ukraine has one of the fastest growing HIV epidemics in the world, and the number of HIV cases diagnosed in the country has doubled since 2001 (UNAIDS, 2010). Ukraine’s epidemic remains concentrated among most-at-risk populations (MARPs)—with over 80 percent of reported HIV cases occurring in these groups (PEPFAR, 2010). In this context, the Health Policy Project conducted an assessment to evaluate the degree to which an enabling policy framework for HIV exists in Ukraine, with an emphasis on HIV prevention among MARPs. The project carried out 72 key informant interviews regarding the policy environment and policy dissemination and implementation at the national and subnational levels. This report summarizes the assessment findings, which indicate a strong enabling environment but one that has gaps and barriers related to policy implementation and operational guidelines. Also see the Annex Addendum for more information.