Sex, sexuality, sickness: women, culture and HIV/AIDS in South Africa (original) (raw)
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Journal of the International AIDS Society, 2010
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The Sociocultural Aspects of HIV/AIDS in South Africa
In 2005 the Commission for Africa noted that ‘Tackling HIV and AIDS requires a holistic response that recognises the wider cultural and social context’ (p. 197). Cultural factors that range from beliefs and values regarding courtship, sexual networking, contraceptive use, perspectives on sexual orientation, explanatory models for disease and misfortune and norms for gender and marital relations have all been shown to be factors in the various ways that HIV/AIDS has impacted on African societies (UNESCO, 2002). Increasingly the centrality of culture is being recognised as important to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support. With culture having both positive and negative influences on health behaviour, international donors and policy makers are beginning to acknowledge the need for cultural approaches to the AIDS crisis (Nguyen et al., 2008).