No abstract available. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2013.

Thesis (M.A. (Political Studies)) - Rhodes University, 2008.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology in the Department of Psychology at the University Of Zululand, 2017 / Virginity testing stands at the forefront in South Africa’s battle against the spread of HIV/AIDS. Most of rural communities uphold and insist that Black South African girls must remain virgins until marriage, with a belief that virginity is the greatest defense against the spread of HIV/AIDS. In South Africa, virginity testing is mainly practiced in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape (Scorgie, 2002). Although this custom contributes meaning and value to most traditional people, it has been heavily criticized and also challenged by the community. The objectives of the study include the following: (a) to explore the experiences encountered by virginity testers, both positive and negative experiences, (b) to find out under which circumstances virginity testers do their work. A qualitative study was carried out in the rural areas of Mubatuba, KwaZulu-Natal. Eight female participants were used in the study, with the ages ranging between 40 and 64. Snowball sampling method was used to recruit participants. The bits and pieces of the collected data were coded into meaningful patterns and analyzed using content thematic analysis. The study managed to shed light on the perspectives of virginity testers. While it is seen by virginity testers as an effective tool for prevention of pregnancy and HIV/AIDS infections in rural areas, rape has become a big problem. While promoting virginity testing one should also look and think about issues related to the safety and security of both young girls and virginity testers.

<p>This study formed part of the broad theme on the impact of HIV and AIDS on school-going learners sponsored by the Dynamics for Building a Better Society programme of the University of the Western Cape and the VLIR Partnership. HIV and AIDS poses a unique challenge to society in that it is a private disease transmitted mainly through unprotected sex that still has no known cure. A challenge to society invariably challenges schools. Primary school principals are obligated to respond because learners in the 5 to 14 year age range provide an opportunity for education, advocacy, prevention, treatment and support. This study aimed to contribute to a better understanding of school leaders and their responsibility towards HIV and AIDS and poverty.</p>

<p>This study formed part of the broad theme on the impact of HIV and AIDS on school-going learners sponsored by the Dynamics for Building a Better Society programme of the University of the Western Cape and the VLIR Partnership. HIV and AIDS poses a unique challenge to society in that it is a private disease transmitted mainly through unprotected sex that still has no known cure. A challenge to society invariably challenges schools. Primary school principals are obligated to respond because learners in the 5 to 14 year age range provide an opportunity for education, advocacy, prevention, treatment and support. This study aimed to contribute to a better understanding of school leaders and their responsibility towards HIV and AIDS and poverty.</p>

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This study formed part of the broad theme on the impact of HIV and AIDS on school-going learners sponsored by the Dynamics for Building a Better Society programme of the University of the Western Cape and the VLIR Partnership. HIV and AIDS poses a unique challenge to society in that it is a private disease transmitted mainly through unprotected sex that still has no known cure. A challenge to society invariably challenges schools. Primary school principals are obligated to respond because learners in the 5 to 14 year age range provide an opportunity for education, advocacy, prevention, treatment and support. This study aimed to contribute to a better understanding of school leaders and their responsibility towards HIV and AIDS and poverty. / South Africa

Thesis (MA (Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT:A lack of research on disabled women and HIV and AIDS within the South African context has been identified by various authors. The present research is a qualitative investigation into the lived experience of seventeen disabled South African women. Their knowledge of and attitudes towards HIV and AIDS and sex and sexuality, their lived experience with regards to these issues, as well as to sexual abuse, rape and violence, and their access to HIV related health care services is explored in the present study. Semi-structured questionnaires were employed. Content analysis revealed that most participants knew of HIV and of ways of HIV transmission, and slightly fewer of them knew where to access HIV and AIDS related health services. The vast majority of participants reported that they saw no difference between sexual practices and sexuality of disabled- compared to non-disabled people. Misperceptions of others’ with regard to the sexuality and sexual practices of disabled people were identified as the main barriers to disabled women’s equal access to HIV and AIDS related health services, and to their freedom of choice and expression in terms of sex and sexuality. Almost all of the women had been subjected to rape, sexual abuse and violence. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: ‘n Tekort aan navorsing oor gestremde vroue en HIV en VIGS binne die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks is deur verskeie outeurs geïdentifiseer. Die huidige navorsing is ‘n kwalitatiewe ondersoek na die lewenservarings van sewentien gestremde Suid-Afrikaanse vroue. Hulle kennis van, ervanrings rondom en houdings teenoor HIV en VIGS, seks en seksualiteit, seksuele mishandeling, verkragting en geweld, en kwaliteit van toegang tot HIV en VIGS-verwante gesondheidsdienste word in hierdie studie ondersoek. Semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude is met die vroue gevoer, en inhoudsanalise is toegepas. Bevindinge sluit in dat die meeste vroue van HIV en van oordragsmetodes bewus was. ‘n Effe kleiner groep van deelnemers was bewus van presies waar om toegang tot HIV en VIGS-verwante gesondheidsdienste te verkry. Die oorgrote meerderheid van die vroue het geen verskil gesien tussen die seksuele praktyke en seksualiteit van gestremde en nie-gestremde persone nie. Die wanopvattings van ander (nie-gestremdes) rakende seksuele praktyke en seksualiteit van gestremde persone is aangedui as die grootste struikelblok tot die vroue se gelyke toegang tot HIV en VIGS-verwante gesondheidsdienste, asook tot hulle vryheid van keuse en uitdrukking in terme van seksuele praktyke en seksualiteit. Bykans al die vroue in hierdie studie is al blootgestel aan verkragting, seksuele mishandeling en geweld.

The current report was an exploratory case study that utilsed a mixed mehtodology to consider the HIV and Aids wellness context of a South African small to Medium Enterprise (SME), hereafter called company A. This study aimed to investigate company A by observing the knowledge. Attitude and practices (KAP) of emmployees, as well as their reported behaviours on disclosure of HIV status. HIV and AIDS are critical issues, with South Africa, having the highest rate in the world (UNAIDS, 2010). While various projects are in place to promote prevention and decrease infection rate, infection statistics plateaued at a high leve. The situation in South Africa thus needs to be examined from a different perspective, approaching the epidemic as a case study, rather than through the systematic models and interventions used in the past. A KAP survey and open ended questionnaire were used, as they formed the forefront of the assumptions usally in interventions that look at behaviour change model such as the Health belief model (HBM) and social cognitive theory (SCT) and the relationship between knowledge, attitude and practices and dissclosure of HIV status. The research observed that while no clear cut relationships can be found between knowwledge, attitude, practices, and the decisin of whether to dissclose the HIV status, the context and experience of the epidemic is far from straightforward, and needs to be tackled in it`s entiriety. While the intention of policies and interventions may be good, without the requisite investigation of the context, the attempts may not be as successfull as they could be.

This study investigated the Ethic, Law, and Human rights (ELH) dilemmas of researchers involved in preparing for and/or conducting HVTs in African countries. Furthermore it investigated availability of ELH material resources and infrastructure necessary for the successful conduct of HVTs. The study employed both qualitative and quantitative research methods. The main ethical challenges that researchers face when conducting HVTs include; high seroconversion rates, determining social value, working collaboratively with participants and communities, and paying trial participants. Legal challenges faced by researchers included; termination of participants who meet study inclusion criteria due to demands to do so from their parents and/or male partners, and in some countries lack of support from health care service providers when it comes to caring form trial participants. Understanding of consent age in African countries by communities was reported as a human right concern for researchers. The study concludes that researchers conducting or preparing to conduct HVTs in African countries face different ethics, law and human rights challenges when conducting HVTs at their sites and these challenges need to be addressed in order to improve the conduct of HVTs in Africa.

<p>The school environment presents a valuable opportunity for the identification, monitoring and support of children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS and poverty. Many children are caring for parents suffering from AIDS related illnesses and/or they are the main breadwimnner of the household. As a reult of HIV/AIDS and poverty therefore, children might be dropping out of school, or their ability to performadequately at school might be significantly reduced. The main aim of this study was to use a case study approach to explore and describe support provision in a South African formal school, examining in particular, the relative significance of leadership, organisational development and gender-related matters in addressing the needs of children made vulnerableby HIV/AIDS and poverty.The availability and quality of this support is analysed within the context of the Western Cape Education Department (WECD) transforming itself from a system focussed on controlling schools to a system focused on supporting schools.</p>