Glorius Kyarihunda was murdered by her husband at 25-years-old.
The man hacked his wife of 10 years to death with a machete in Western Uganda when she returned home to retrieve her belongings.
Days earlier, Glorius' husband blamed her for his positive HIV test.
According to the Ugandan branch of the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, Glorius was one of five women murdered in 2008 under similar circumstances. Thousands more suffered abuse or eviction. In a survey of just one district by ActionAid Uganda, 100 out of 465 women said they experienced domestic violence as a result of disclosing their status.
Disclosure is not only difficult, it's dangerous. Yet, just months after Glorius' death, Ugandan Parliament is debating a bill that gives a person six weeks after testing positive to tell their partner before the government does.
The N'djamena "model law" created a guideline for criminalizing the willful transmission of HIV. Adopted across West Africa, its attempts curb infection and empower victims of abuse or rape.
The law contains important measures criminalizing malicious and intentional transmission. But, these cases are rare. In practice, articles like the forced disclosure rule disproportionally criminalize women living in fear of abuse.
Due to antenatal testing, women tend to find out their HIV status before their husbands. This places the burden of disclosure on them and increases the risk of violence or abandonment. Leaving is rarely an option. Existing laws and tradition often deprive women of property and inheritance rights in divorce. Access to credit and salaried employment is also limited.
"Many women cannot disclose their status to their partners because they fear violent assault or being thrown out of the home," said Edwin Cameron, a Justice of the Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa at the 2008 International AIDS Conference.
On top of this, the rules of predominantly male-dominated societies leave women unable to negotiate condom use or family planning. Many men, like Glorius' husband, hold their wives responsible for infection.
The problems don't stop at disclosure. In Togo, anyone who doesn't use a condom in "all risky sexual relations" is breaking the law while Guinea requires mandatory testing before marriage. In Zimbabwe, a woman was convicted for "deliberately infecting another person." Her lover has never tested positive for the virus.
In Sierra Leone, women can also be criminalized for exposing their infants to HIV.
"Any person who is and is aware of being infected with HIV or is carrying and is aware of carrying HIV antibodies shall not knowingly or recklessly place another person, and in the case of a pregnant women, the fetus, at risk of becoming infected with HIV," says Article 21 of the legislation.
Due to years of civil war, about 70 per cent of Sierra Leone's population is living below the poverty line. That means access to affordable ARV drugs through international aid is essential. But, coverage is remarkably low. A 2007 UN assessment found only 25 per cent of pregnant HIV-positive women and less than one per cent of exposed infants received treatment. Further, only 26 per cent of people have access to clean drinking water putting infants at risk of HIV through breast milk or deadly, waterborne diseases through formula.
"We must change the social circumstances that will empower those women to say no when they wish to and to insist on protection when they want to," said Cameron.
In the face of this epidemic, angry and fear can inspire drastic action. But, legislation that ignores the realities of gender inequality only worsens the problem by reinforcing the stigma associated with the disease. That's why our focus should be poverty, the domestic violence and the misinformation that causes infection.
"It is a virus," said Cameron. "Not a crime."
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.