Women & HIV/AIDS

Women and HIV/AIDS Bill of Rights

Barcelona, Spain, 2002 and Bangkok, Thailand, 2004

Women and HIV/AIDS: The Barcelona Bill of Rights

As we enter the third decade of HIV/AIDS, women, especially the young and the poor, are the most affected.
Because gender inequality fuels the HIV/AIDS pandemic, it is imperative that women and girls speak out, set priorities for action and lead the global response to the crisis.

Therefore, women and girls from around the world unite and urge all governments, organizations, agencies, donors, communities and individuals to make our rights a reality.
Women and girls have the right:

• To live with dignity and equality.
• To bodily integrity.
• To health and healthcare, including treatment.
• To safety, security and freedom from fear of physical and sexual violence throughout their lives.
• To be free from stigma, discrimination, blame and denial.
• To their human rights regardless of sexual orientation.
• To sexual autonomy and sexual pleasure.
• To equity in their families.
• To education and information.
• To economic independence.

These fundamental rights shall include, but not be limited to the right:

• To support and care which meets their particular needs.
• To access acceptable, affordable and quality comprehensive healthcare including antiretroviral therapies.
• To sexual and reproductive health services, including access to safe abortion without coercion.
• To a broader array of preventive and therapeutic technologies that respond to the needs of all women and girl regardless of age, HIV status or sexual orientation.
• To access user-friendly and affordable prevention technologies such as female condoms and microbicides with skills building training on negotiation and use.
• To testing after informed consent and protection of the confidentiality of their status.
• To choose to disclose their status in circumstances of safety and security without the threat of violence, discrimination or stigma.
• To live their sexuality in safety and with pleasure irrespective of age, HIV status or sexual orientation.
• To choose to be mothers and have children irrespective of their HIV status or sexual orientation.
• To safe and healthy motherhood for all, including the safety and health of their children.
• To choose marriage, form partnerships or divorce, irrespective of age, HIV status or sexual orientation.
• To gender equity in education and lifetime education for all.
• To formal and informal sexual education throughout their lives.
• To information, especially about HIV/AIDS, with an emphasis on women and girls' special vulnerability due to biological differences, gender roles and inequality.
• To employment, equal pay, recognition of all forms of work including sex work and compensation for care and support.
• To economic independence such as to own and inherit property, and to access financial resources.
• To food security, safe water and shelter.
• To freedom of movement and travel irrespective of HIV status.
• To express their religious, cultural and social identities.
• To associate freely and be leaders within religious, social and cultural institutions.
• To lead and participate in all aspects of politics, governance, decision-making, policy development and program implementation.