HIV, Violence Against Women, and Criminal Law Interventions

3 Pages Posted: 12 Dec 2014 Last revised: 17 Dec 2014

See all articles by Aziza Ahmed

Aziza Ahmed

Boston University - School of Law

Date Written: December 10, 2014

Abstract

In this invited response to the 20th anniversary of VAWA, the author examines new tensions between criminal law regimes purportedly addressing violence against women and HIV interventions. The consequences of defining all transactional sex work as violence against women include increased arrests, especially for women of color, and disincentives to use condoms for fear of providing evidence to prosecutors. The author concludes that while well-meaning, the blunt tools of the criminal law system supported by abolitionist feminists offer little to remedy the complex realities that accompany the precarious existence of many in the sex industry.

Keywords: women, HIV, VAWA, sex work, trafficking

Suggested Citation

Ahmed, Aziza, HIV, Violence Against Women, and Criminal Law Interventions (December 10, 2014). CUNY Law Review, VAWA @ 20 Symposium, Northeastern University School of Law Research Paper No. 211-2014, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2536495

Aziza Ahmed (Contact Author)

Boston University - School of Law ( email )

765 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02215
United States

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