Engaging adolescent girls and young women in HIV prevention research

Converging social, cultural and economic factors affect the way in which adolescent girls and young women understand, negotiate and access information and biomedical treatment related to HIV. Persistent gender and age disparities and stigmas around female sexuality in this group reinforce such issues as poverty, lack of access to education (including sexual and reproductive health education), livelihood opportunities and financial autonomy. Furthermore, adolescent girls and young women also lack access to sexual and reproductive healthcare, as well as other healthcare service, and face the risk of violence, including intimate partner violence. 

The disproportionate vulnerability of adolescent girls and young women to HIV calls for a greater understanding of how best to conduct research for and with this group and how to develop appropriate, effective and accessible prevention interventions. Progress in HIV prevention research, especially clinical trials among populations of adolescent girls and young women, is largely hindered by ethical requirements and the vulnerability associated with engagement this group.

This two-part webinar series will highlight the key aspects related to the ethics of engaging girls and young women in HIV prevention research and sexual and reproductive health programming, and leverage insights from social and behavioural research to inform future design of engagement strategies for this group.

This webinar looked into the need for engaging adolescent girls and young women in HIV research and help understand latest scientific developments and the ethical dilemmas.

Watch part two of this webinar series here.

30 August 2022
English
Chair
Ethel Makila

Ethel Makila

IAVI

Speakers

Linda-Gail Bekker

IAS Past President and Director

Desmond Tutu Health Foundation, RSA

Cathy Slack

Cathy Slack

Head of the HIV AIDS Vaccines Ethics Group

University of KwaZulu-Natal, RSA

Renu Golwakar

Renu Golwakar

Senior Director, Gender Youth and Social Inclusion

India

Grace Munisi

Grace Munisi

Senior Technical Advisor, Gender Youth and Social Inclusion

Tanzania

Doreen Moraa Moracha

Doreen Moraa Moracha

Founder

I am a Beautiful Story, Kenya