Abstract

PIP: In Kenya, as in many other developing countries, women who lack the rights to control their own bodies, choose their own partners, or own and inherit property are vulnerable to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA-K) and other women's organizations in Kenya are pushing for legal reforms to reduce women's dependence on men. FIDA-K has worked with law enforcement agencies to protect women who report domestic violence and lobbied policymakers to make domestic violence and marital rape offenses punishable by law. Pressure to end the cultural practice of wife inheritance is growing in regions of Kenya where HIV prevalence is especially high. Also under scrutiny are laws that return a man's property to his own family when he dies, forcing many women widowed by acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) to turn to commercial sex work to support themselves and their children. In addition, FIDA-K is working to educate law enforcement agencies to understand female genital mutilation as a prosecutable offense. The Platform for Action adopted at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women calls for all governments to review and amend laws and enact legislation against sociocultural practices that contribute to women's susceptibility to HIV infection.