Migration and AIDS in Africa: a gender analysis
Joy Hamilton
Women's Studies Senior Seminar, Spring 2003
Saint Olaf College
Statistics

Migration

AIDS in Africa

Migration and AIDS

Types of Migration

Solutions

Works Cited

Related Websites

The epidemic of AIDS in Africa has become one of the biggest issues that faces the world today.  In sub-Saharan Africa alone, many of the countries have over 25% of their populations infected with HIV.   The repercussions of this extreme epidemic have already become visible with the distribution of age groups within the population changing dramatically and numbers of orphans increasing exponentially.  The link to statistics is a good way to begin to understand the scope of the epidemic.  There are many factors that explain why AIDS has spread in such a devastating manner.  This project will begin by briefly explaining some of those factors as a background to the focus on the aspect of migration and its relationship to the spread of AIDS in Africa.  The topic of migration will be explained with a particular emphasis on the vulnerability of those who migrate to contract HIV.   The types of migration will also be emphasized because there is a direct correlation between the type of migration and the gender of the migrant.  The gender implications of the connection between migration and the spread of AIDS will be analyzed.  Finally, some potential solutions will be discussed because complete analysis of this type responsibly should include prevention and treatment plans for the future.  As an added resource, there are related web sites also listed because there is lots of information available on the internet for the international community about AIDS in Africa in particular.