Research, political incidence and solidarity among women: body mapping violence and HIV in Bolivia GraciaVioleta Ross

graciavioleta@gmail.com Sunday 22nd, July 2012 Pre-Conference Satellite Session

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Washington D.C., USA, 22-27 July 2012

Research included

A survey with populations.

322

women

of

the

9 focus groups: 3 with each population. Body mapping of violence and HIV. We mapped the marks of violence in: the

body, the identity.

feelings

and

the

Individual in-depth interviews with women of the 3 populations. Nine field-work researchers, three of each
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Concepts

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WOMEN LIVING WITH HIV: In my

childhood I suffered sexual violence and every time I remembe r it is painful

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WOMEN LIVING WITH HIV:

Because of so much violence, our feelings are destroyed

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WOMEN LIVING WITH HIV:

They take away our right to be mothers

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TRANSGENDER WOMEN:

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Even myself, I tried to kill me because of the bad treatment of people, of the society

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TRANSGENDER WOMEN

They tell me I am good to be a slut, nothing else

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TRANSGENDER WOMEN:

Bleeding because of anal rape

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SEX WORKERS:

The bar owner and the pimp, force me to work when I am with my menses
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SEX WORKERS:

I must paint my face to look ok to others, but I am not ok, my soul is destroyed

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SEX WORKERS:
* Abortion caused by the beating of a preganant sex worker, by her partner

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In conclusion

These 3 groups of women suffer all forms of violence, more than the average of women in Bolivia. This might be related to their authomatic association with inmoral behaviors and with HIV/AIDS epidemic. It seems like these women deserve to be punished because they broke the norms of patriarchal societies. In the survey, some of the women identified as part of three groups simultaneously but not openly (stigma asocciated to HIV+ sex workers and transgender women living with HIV). But, the issue of violence has the potential of getting together in the same table different
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Our research team

Ximena Salazar (UPCH), Yolanda Cachicatari (IC MVVS La Paz), Laura Lara (IC Trans Santa Cruz), Chantal Cuellar (IC Trans

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Washington D.C., USA, 22-27 July 2012