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AIDS in the context of development
Collins, Joseph, 1866-1950 Rau, Bill
Collins, Joseph, 1866-1950
Rau, Bill
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collins.pdf
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Abstract
"The AIDS pandemic is destroying the lives and livelihoods of millions of people around the world. An estimated 15,000 people are being infected every day, and the rate is set to rise. The situation is worst in regions and countries where poverty is extensive, gender inequality is pervasive, and public services are weak. In fact, the spread of HIV/AIDS at the turn of the twenty-first century is a sign of maldevelopment an indicator of the failure to create more equitable and prosperous societies over large parts of the world. This paper was commissioned by UNRISD, in collaboration with UNAIDS, to provide back-ground for new comparative research on HIV/AIDS as a problem of development. Moving away from an epidemiological or behavioural focus on the pandemic, the essay begins by considering AIDS in the context of widespread and worsening poverty. Two strategies adopted by desperate people, attempting to improve their income, are particularly conducive to the spread of HIV/AIDS. The first is migration in search of work, whether within countries or across borders. The second is poverty-driven commercial sex work. Both place men and women in particularly high-risk situations, in which institutions providing normal support for stable family relations are absent. And both would be largely obviated if adequate opportunities for making a living were available at home. For some, HIV/AIDS infection is the first major disaster in their lives. But for many more, the disease is just an additional problem on top of many others. The paper discusses the series of shocks which, during the past few decades, have seriously exacerbated the already precarious living conditions of large numbers of people and made them more susceptible to disease. In addition to natural disasters, these shocks include debt crises and structural adjustment programmes that have intensified economic recession, reduced employment and limited the coverage and quality of social service provision in many parts of the developing world. Wars and civil violence have further weakened economies, uprooted populations and diverted much-needed resources from health care. It is important to realize that, in this context, taking care to avoid HIV/AIDS may seem a less immediate concern for many people than simple survival."(pg iv)
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2000-12
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With permission of the license/copyright holder