Feminist Perspective of HIV and AIDS: Cases from the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal

Abstract

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is behavior disease transmits from one person to another person due to unsafe sexual practices. HIV infected females are more suffered from the social stigma and discrimination. The main objective of this study is to identify the risk of HIV transmission among the women or girls from the feminist perspective. Simple random sampling technique was used to select the respondents from the vulnerable groups of Kathmandu valley of Nepal. Total 404 respondents were included from the reproductive age (15-49) groups. Analytical research design used to analyze the data. There was significant association found among the respondents in relation to the polygamy, human trafficking, trust on sex partners, gender based violence, early marriage system and gender inequality as an associated factor with increasing the risk of HIV transmission at .05% significance level. On the global scenario, women are more vulnerable than male for HIV transmission because of their biological as well as socio-cultural characteristic. In Nepal, majority of male are found living with HIV and AIDS than female but female are facing the stigma and discrimination than male because of the patriarchy thought. Basically, socio-cultural practices are supporting the risk practices in Nepal so prevention program should be launched adopting the gendered based approach.