Property Rights, HIV Prevention, and Violence: Examining the Impact of a Community Land and Property Watch Dog Model in Western Kenya

Background: Despite the recognized need for structural HIV prevention interventions, little work in the science base has integrated women's property and inheritance rights and HIV/AIDS prevention. The University of California at San Francisco partnered with the Kenyan Medical Research Institute to conduct research focused on a Community Land and Property “Watchdog Model,” a community-led program created by GROOTS-Kenya to reduce women's disinheritance and asset stripping in the context of their disproportionate risks for HIV and violence. The current research project examines the impact of the Watchdog Model, including its HIV and violence-related impacts in two rural areas of Western Kenya where HIV prevalence is 24% and 30%, and property rights violations are common. Methods: We carried out 80 in-depth interviews: 20 with women and men who developed and implemented the model, 30 community mediators who help to secure women's property rights, and 30 women who received property rights assistance within the Community Land and Property Watch Dog program. Findings: We examine: a) the development and implementation of community-led programming at the intersection of property rights, HIV, and violence b) the strategies used at the individual, familial, and community level to secure women's property rights and address their HIV and violence risks, and c) the perceived impact of the Watch Dog model on HIV prevention and violence reduction. Conclusions: We consider facilitators and barriers to securing women's property rights in this region, and make recommendations for science-based researchers interested in the integration of property rights, violence, and HIV prevention interventions.