Inter Press Service: Dangerous Combo: Violence in Pregnancy and HIV in South Africa
“…An estimated one in four South African women experience intimate partner violence in the 12 months leading up to childbirth. Violence in pregnancy is associated with pregnancy loss, miscarriage and neonatal death, higher rates of postpartum depression and poor health gains for infants. In a systematic review of the literature, Dr. Simukai Shamu, a Medical Research Council expert on violence, found that prevalence of violence among pregnant women in Africa is among the highest reported globally, and that a major risk factor for violence is HIV infection…” (Hatfield, 3/7).