Women living with HIV in Eastern Africa continue to face hidden and normalized violence, much of it embedded within healthcare systems, policies, and laws. While integration of HIV services into broader health systems is meant to improve efficiency, it often compromises confidentiality, quality of care, and the safe spaces that women need.
With donor funding declining and community models such as mentor mothers and village health teams underfunded or phased out, violations such as forced disclosure, assisted partner notification, coerced sterilization, and breaches of privacy through digital health tools remain unchecked. These violations not only undermine women’s dignity but also threaten hard-won gains in the HIV response.
The rise of digital health systems—from electronic medical records to surveillance platforms—has further exposed women to unintended disclosure, stigma, and violence, while punitive laws in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania criminalize HIV non-disclosure and transmission, disproportionately targeting women in vulnerable situations. Community-led monitoring that could expose these harms is often unfunded, silencing women’s voices and weakening accountability.
In response, the International Community of Women Living with HIV Eastern Africa (ICWEA) is leading the “Name it to End it” campaign under the THRIVE Project, supported by the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women.
The campaign is implemented in partnership with ICWK (International Community of Women Living with HIV Kenya) and DWWT (Dreams Women’s and Wellness Trust, Tanzania). Together, these partners will expose violations, amplify survivor voices, and demand accountability from duty bearers.
The campaign will officially launch on September 19, 2025, and run through March 2026, leveraging advocacy moments such as Women’s Day, World AIDS Day, Human Rights Day, and the 16 Days of Activism. It will mobilise at least 12 regional networks, 500 women and feminist advocates, and 1,000 digital activists, and will include storytelling, multimedia productions, policy roundtables, press activations, and digital campaigns.
By naming and documenting these evolving forms of violence, the campaign will shift public awareness, strengthen accountability, and push for reforms in health policies and legal frameworks across Eastern Africa. Because if we don’t name it, we can’t end it.
Implementing Partners:
• ICWK (International Community of Women Living with HIV Kenya)
• DWWT (Dreams Women’s and Wellness Trust, Tanzania)
Funded by UNTRUST ending violence against women, UN Women and European Union
