Abuse
Latinas, who are notorious for forming abusive relationships, represent a disproportionate amount of intimate partner violence (IPV) in the United States. Hispanics account for 34% of the incidence of IMV (5) in the United States but only make up 12.5% of the total population according to the U.S. census conducted in 2000 (1). Many Puerto Rican women endure different types of abuse, ranging from threats of deportation to child molestation, a few women in a study admitted to being infected with HIV by men who knowingly spread the virus (25). In a study of Puerto Rican women, many believed that they deserved the abuse; one woman confessed “A lot of times women thinks that because we are living with a man who pays our rent, that gives us a gift, we have to tolerate everything.” They also rationalized the abuse describing it as normal and that they somehow deserved it (25).
A different study of Puerto Rican Women, conducted using a New York City hospital emergency department, found that nearly one half of the women who were interviewed had experienced IPV in the past. Three fourths of the participants had never been tested for HIV, however, half of them admitted to having been infected with at least one STD (9). Being involved in an abusive relationship has been found to correlate to HIV infection. After much investigation, evidence has been found linking HIV risk behavior with IPV along with violent traumas, specifically in minorities (28). A study of Puerto Rican women found that abused women were over 4 times more likely than non abused women to have sex with a high risk partner (9). The correlation between HIV infection and IPV is a highly disputed topic because no studies have proven that one causes the other. It has been proven, however, that both before and after their partners are notified, infected women experience a high rate of domestic violence (29). It is essential to address the lifestyle of adolescent girls in order to prevent HIV from spreading because as women get older the will have more relationships and become more prone to HIV infection.
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