Globalisation is risk factor in AIDS epidemic

GENEVA, Thursday (AFP)

Globalisation is a factor in the spread of AIDS as it causes workers to relocate more often and marginalises the poor, according to a UN International Labour Organization study published Wednesday.

“Because of their frequent relocations, some people are much more exposed” to the risk of HIV infection, explained Odile Frank, the author of the study which identified certain higher-risk groups.

The world’s 12.3 million forced labourers — of whom 2.5 million are the victims of human trafficking — are among those most at risk, according to the study.Over 40 percent of trafficking victims are also exploited sexually, according to the report.

The study identified three high-risk categories: transport workers who are often cut off from their families and social environment; tourism and hospitality staff due to the impact of sexual tourism; and unemployed people living in poor conditions.

Overall, young adults are most at risk of infection, particularly young women in insecure employment or without work. “Because globalisation marginalises certain social groups and countries, it has an impact on the epidemic,” says Frank.

Poverty and AIDs form a vicious circle, according the study: foreign investments have dropped in all the African countries most affected by the epidemic. “Globalisation has prompted the marginalisation of certain countries. Insofar as they are marginalised, there is a risk that the epidemic will not be halted” in those countries, Frank explains.