What Direction Are You Headed: Women's Journey to Empowerment

Background: In the Tampa Bay area there are 3,500 men who are HIV positive who are in and out of incarceration.  Education among women about the epidemic is critical to stop the spread of the virus.

Objectives: To describe prevention programming for HIV and STD’s for women who have a partner incarcerated or recently released from incarceration in the Tampa Bay area.

Project Description: We combined several DEBI’s: SISTA, VOICES, and Community Promise to form a gender responsive prevention program for women.  This combination allows us to empower and educate women to be more independent and self-assured which transforms their lives.  Women gain self confidence in their abilities and skills to negotiate condom usage, application of barrier methods, coping, and communication styles.  Upon completion of the program, women often re-evaluate their relationship with their partner and terminate the relationship.  We offer services and support in the aftermath.

Findings: Women complete a pre and post test upon enrollment and graduation.  Of the 125 administered, we found the following comparisons.  19% of women state they now use condoms when they engage in sex.  44% of women report knowing how to use a female condom and 63% know how to use a dental dam.  The following jail/ prison myths were also dispelled:  34% of women know that condoms are not given to men, 29% know that bleach for cleaning needles are not supplied and 33% know that men who are HIV positive are not separated from the general population while incarcerated.

Conclusions: Providing prevention and risk reduction education to women has a positive impact on their knowledge of risks and empowers women with risk reduction techniques.

Implications for Programs, Policy, and Research: Empowering and educating women about safer sex increases risk reduction behavior.