Countries failing their migrant population with potential for HIV and AIDS increase

The economic crisis and universal access to HIV services for Migrants.

Concerns are mounting that the current economic crisis will be a disastrous repeat of 1997-1999 Asian financial crisis with the potential for an increase of HIV and AIDS infection within the region. With economic growth declining from 8.8% in 2007 to 5.8% in Jan 2009 within Asia and the Pacific region, it has been estimated that over 25 million people are unemployed and this has raised concerns about the potential spillover effect on HIV prevention and treatment.

With countries such as Malaysia, Cambodia and Indonesia heavily dependent on exporting as part of their economy, the recent economic downturn has seriously effected employment rates and national Government's ability to finance HIV programs. Cambodia was reported to have had a decline in the garment industry of 31% and 70,000 jobs, mostly consisting of migrant women, have been lost.

The United Nations Development Program report highlighted the real concern of the economic crisis for migrant workers. On a national level, an economic slow down will cause problems for funding and cuts will have to be made, which many fear will target more localised programs. The report also highlighted that during an economic crisis it is common for governments to adopt a well publicised anti-immigration policy. In Malaysia, the Government has placed a freeze on the re-issuing of work visas and revoked work visas for 55,000 Bangladeshis. If formal routes of movement are not open to migrants, this will mean that migrants will explore informal methods of movement and this can put them in conditions with a greater risk of vulnerability to HIV. Migrants' perceived risk, knowledge of HIV, and use of condoms are low, which puts them at high risk. However, when migrants start to explore informal routes of immigration this can result in illegal activity and further reduces their access to education and healthcare.

On an individual level, with high unemployment or lowered wages, it may not be possible for HIV positive people to continue their vital HIV treatment. Women who are made unemployed can consider to enter the sex industry as reported in Cambodia where the garment industry has declined and women are entering into an unsafe sex industry outside of the HIV prevention framework

Overall, the UNDP report on migration highlights the potential challenges that will arise during the economic slowdown and shows that in order to commit Universal Access it is necessary to confront the issues now before vulnerable groups are forgotten.

(UNDP 'The threat posed by the economic crisis to universal access to HIV services for Migrants' accessed 17/08/09)