Sexual violence and dislocation as social risk factors involved in the acquisition of HIV among women in Manitoba /

Social Risk Factors Involved in the Acquisition of HIV in Manitoba Women The women who participated in the study shared information about their own history and experiences; • A majority of participants self-identified as being of Aboriginal ancestry with the mean grade of education level attained by the participants was grade 9 with a range of grade 5-12. [...] The women cited a number of reasons, for example, a fear of reprisals from the perpetrator, feelings of shame, guilt and the inability to realize that talking about the events was a course of action open to them. [...] Injection drug use and the rate of diagnosed mental health issues among the women requires further exploration, in particular, the influence this may have on coping strategies of the women and the impact this may have on prevention strategies in the future. [...] The history of colonization, oppression, and the residual impact of the residential school system are integral to the reality of Aboriginal women in society today, and must be considered within the historical and current context of many Aboriginal persons. [...] The specific objectives of this study were; 1. To describe the group of women who are HIV positive in Winnipeg with respect to age, source of income, education, risk behaviours for HIV infection, ethnicity, and residence; 2. To describe any past experience of violence or threat of violence in the home and community of HIV positive women in Winnipeg, and how this contributes to negotiating abilitie