With treatment and care becoming increasingly available, PLHIV are regaining their health, living longer, fulfilling lives, and planning for their futures. This includes decisions about sex, sexuality and the possibility of starting or expanding families. Despite this, there still prevails an underlying assumption that one’s sexual and reproductive life stops when one becomes HIV positive. Often society at large, health care workers, decision makers and even PLHIV themselves hold this assumption.

For a person living with HIV, dealing with sex means dealing with difficult issues at vulnerable moments and in vulnerable settings. Often people living with HIV are expected to disclose their HIV status before engaging in sexual relations – in some countries it is even a legal obligation, even though this may lead to (gender-based) violence. People living with HIV are expected to initiate and engage in safe sex strategies to prevent the transmission of STIs or transmitting HIV to one’s sexual partner(s). With regards to family planning, people need to be able to make well- informed decisions around conceiving, pregnancy, preventing mother to child transmission and breastfeeding.

In short, there is a host of complex issues that touch on the fulfillment of the sexual aand reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of PLHIV, their partners and families.

In terms of gaps, there is a range of SRHR issues for PLHIV where knowledge is insufficient and further research is needed. Among them are: the SRH needs of young people, especially young PLHIV; the needs of young people in relation to research on new prevention technologies; the effects of antiretroviral (ARV) therapies on HIV-positive young peoples’ physiological development, including SRH issues; HIV-positive transgender people’s SRH rights and needs; sodomy laws; discrimination of men who have sex with men (MSM) and homosexuality and its relevance with regard to epidemiological surveillance and appropriate and relevant services; and the advisability of male circumcision of PLHIV.

Also, while stigma and discrimination is becoming more subtle, it continues to be a barrier for enjoyment of SRHR by PLHIV.

 Working Group Statement on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (English) 176.62 Kb

 Working Group Statement on Sexual and Reproductive Health (Francais) 181.89 Kb

 Working Group Statement on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (Espanol) 178.65 Kb