Recorded presentation

Sarah Raskin¹, Jessie Mbwambo, MD², Suzanne Maman, PhD³, Heidi Lary, MHS³, and Maligo Katebalila, BA². (1) Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 579 Quillian Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30032, 404-808-9328, s_e_raskin@yahoo.com, (2) Department of Psychiatry, Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences, Off United Nations Road, PO Box 65466, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, (3) Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 Wolfe Street, E5033, Baltimore, MD 21205

Articles Three, Nineteen, Twenty-three, and Twenty-five of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights identify the rights of security, expression, work, and health for all people. Qualitative formative research on the intersection of HIV risk and domestic violence behavior in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania indicates that a linkage exists among the fulfillment of -- or the violation of -- these rights among youth. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions reveal consensus among young men and women that the rights of young women who are “tulia” (“settled” in kiswahili) should be upheld during courtship; opinions are discordant regarding the rights of married women. By comparison, young women who are “mapepe” (“unsettled,” as perceived by their community) are subject to abuse – including gang rape – that is justified by young men and tolerated by other young women as a necessary tactic of discipline. The author will argue that the “choice” between being “tulia” and “mapepe” – and its implications on health and human rights -- must be further analyzed within the contexts of poverty, and economic and educational opportunities. Tanzania has committed to major international and domestic human rights mechanisms, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. Moreover it has ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The author will argue that, despite such legal reforms, the non-realization and violation of rights puts women’s health at increased risk.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to

• Understand the application of a rights-based framework to data analysis;
• Identify major international mechanisms for rights-based framework
• Describe the self-identified understanding of rights among youths at risk for HIV infection and domestic violence behaviors in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
• Identify the relationship between poverty and the understanding of rights among those Tanzanian youth

Keywords: Human Rights, Women and HIV/AIDS

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Recorded presentation