HIV risk for ‘good’ women

Traditional values are putting Cambodian wives at risk of HIV infection from their own husbands, according to a new study.

The study, published by the Journal of Nursing Scholarship earlier this month, found wives’ “commitment to being a ‘good’ Khmer woman” stops them from challenging their husbands over their infidelities and reluctance to use condoms, which in turn heightens their risk of HIV infection.

For the study, Dr Youngran Yang interviewed 15 women who had been infected with HIV by their husbands. According to the National AIDS Authority, 48 per cent of all new HIV infections in Cambodia are the result of spousal transmission.

read more: http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/hiv-risk-good-women