Caribbean Faith-Based Organisations: Friend or Foe in the fight against the feminisation of HIV and AIDS in the Anglophone Caribbean
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14738/assrj.810.10953Keywords:
Anglophone Caribbean women, faith-based organisations, patriarchy, feminisation of HIV and AIDS, heterosexual relationshipsAbstract
The feminisation of HIV and AIDS has become a worldwide phenomenon, and the Caribbean region has not been fortunate enough to be excluded. Caribbean females had 3-4 times higher infection rates than males up to a decade ago. Studies that focus on the contributing psychosocial factors to HIV risk in the Caribbean are limited. This narrative review showcases pivotal work which addresses the reciprocally connected responsibilities of patriarchy and religious practices and how they feed into the desolate reality of Anglophone Caribbean women. The relationship between these cultural issues in the Caribbean, using an anthropological lens, sets a platform for an investigation into HIV and AIDS. This paper seeks to encourage further research centred on the religious elements, which influence heterosexual relationships, and how these relationships are predisposed to potential HIV and AIDS risk. The ultimate goal of this study is to provide English- speaking Caribbean faith-based organisations, public health officials and policymakers a public stage to consider further policy implications for the staggering and disproportionate rates of HIV and AIDS between women and men.
References
Austin S. & Harris, G. (2011). Addressing Health Disparities: The Role of an African American Health Ministry Committee. Social Work in Public Health, 26(1), 123-135.
Cotton, S., Puchalski C.M., Sherman, S. N. et al. (2006). Spirituality and religion in patients with HIV/AIDS. Journal of general internal medicine, 21(5), S5-13. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1525-1497.2006.00642.x
Francis, C., & Lewis-Agard, N. (2020). Faith Based Efforts in the Caribbean to Combat Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. Arcus Foundation. Retrieved from https://www.arcusfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Arcus-Faith-Based-Efforts-in-the-Caribbeanto-Combat-Discrimination-Based-on-Sexual-Orientation-and-Gender-Identity-1.pdf
Gleeson, H. (2017, November 4). 'Their cross to bear': The Catholic women told to forgive domestic violence. ABC News Australia. Retrieved from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-11-04/cross-to-bear-catholic-churchdomestic-abuse/8680158?nw=0&r=HtmlFragment
Gomez, A., & Alexis-Thomas, C. (2010). HIV/AIDS: perceptions of the Grenadian faith-based community. West Indian Medical Journal, 59(4), 356-361.
Gupta, R. G. (2002). Vulnerability and resilience: Gender and HIV/AIDS in Latin America and the Caribbean. Retrieved August 14, 2021, from http://www.iadb.org/sds/doc/Vulnerability.pdf
Hem-Lee-Forsyth, S. (2019). Carnival bacchanal culture and the silent HIV risk among female Caribbean professionals. International Journal of Public Health, 11(4), 413-423.
Hem-Lee-Forsyth, S., Hunter, C., McNab, J., Ku, C. (2019). Culture and its impact on the feminisation of HIV and AIDS risk among Caribbean women. International Journal of Gender and Women’s Studies, 7(1), 17-28.
King James Bible. (2021). King James Bible Online. Retrieved from https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Original work published 1769.
Kaiser Family Foundation. (March 2, 2021). The Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic. Kaiser Family Foundation.https://www.kff.org/global-health-policy/fact-sheet/the-global-hivaidsepidemic/#:~:text=Affected%20Areas,Eastern%20and%20Southern%20Africa.
Lake, O. (1994). The Many Voices of Rastafarian Women: Sexual Subordination in the midst of Liberation. New West Indian Guide. 68(3)(4), 235-257.
Lazarus, L. (2012.) This is a Christian Nation: Gender and Sexuality in Processes of Constitutional and Legal Reform in Jamaica. Social and Economic Studies 61,(3) Special issue on women’s health and rights in select Caribbean countries (September 2012).
Muturi, N. (2008). Faith-Based Initiatives in Response to HIV/AIDS in Jamaica. IJOC, 108 – 131.
Pan American Health Organization. (2011). The UNGASS, Gender and Women’s Vulnerability to HIV/AIDS in Latin America and the Caribbean. PAHO. Retrieved from https://www.paho.org/en/documents/ungass-genderand-womens-vulnerability-hivaids-latin-america-and-caribbean
Pan American Health Organisation. (2002). Gender and HIV/AIDS in Latin America and the Caribbean. [Fact Sheet]. Retrieved August 14, 2021, from http://www.paho.org/english/hdp/hdw/Gendera ndHIVFactSheetI.pdf
Pillay, Y. (2011). The Role of the Black Church, the Barbershop/Beauty Salon, and Digital Communication to Support African American Persons Living With HIV/AIDS. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health.
Reed, C. S. (2014). Sexual & Reproductive Health of Dutch Afro-Caribbean Women: An Analysis of Culture, Reproductive Statistics and Black Female Sexuality. Mount Holyoke.
Roberts, D., Reddock, R., Douglas, D., & Reid, S. (2009). Sex, power and taboo: Gender and HIV in the Caribbean and beyond. Kingston: Ian Randle Publishers.
Sharpe, J., & Pinto, S. (2006). The Sweetest Taboo: Studies of Caribbean Sexualities; A review essay. Journal of Women in Culture and Society 2006, 32(1), 247-274.
Soares, J. (2005). Gender justice and the Christian mission. Journal of Religious Thought, 57(2), 67-82.
Susser, I., & Stein, Z. (2000). Public health matters: Culture, sexuality, and women’s agency in the prevention of HIV/AIDS in Southern Africa. American Journal of Public Health, 90(7), 1042-1048.
The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. (2015). Facts and figures: HIV and AIDS. US Agency for International Development. http://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/hiv-andaids/facts-and-figures
Voelker, R. (2005). Women shoulder growing HIV/AIDS burden. JAMA, 293(3), 281-282. 16
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2021 Shivaughn Hem-Lee-Forsyth, Renee Thomas
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
