HENRY JL BADENHORST

HIV/AIDS as factor in
Human Insecurity
Henry JL Badenhorst
Email: henry_badenhorst@yahoo.com
4/20/2010

Soli Deo Gloria

Abstract: The HIV/AIDS pandemic is ripping away at our social, economic, political and personal

security, greatly affecting not only our individual human security, but also the socio-political
stability of countries, as the disease eats away our skills bases, our social networks, our national
incomes and our political stability. The HIV/AIDS pandemic is the first health issue not only to pose
great human security risks, but also national security risks. It adversely affects all dimensions of
human security, namely economic security, food security, personal security, community security,
political security and health security.

(i)

Title: HIV/AIDS as a factor in Human Insecurity

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGES
1. Introduction.

2. The relationship between Health, Human Security and Development.

1-3

3. The impact of HIV/AIDS on the different dimensions of Human Security.

3-5

4. The impact of HIV/AIDS on agriculture and rural areas.

6-7

5. The socio-economic consequences of HIV/AIDS.

7-8

6. HIV/AIDS in South-Africa.

8-9

7. HIV/AIDS prevalence among women

8. HIV/AIDS and Human Rights

9-10

9. Conclusion.

10

10. Bibliography

11

Introduction
In January 2000, the United Nations (UN) Security Council debated the impact of AIDS on
peace and security in Africa, and it was the first debate in the Councils history that discussed a
health issue as a threat to peace and security, at which debate the then UN secretary-general
Kofi Annan told the Council: The impact of AIDS in Africa was no less destructive than that of
warfare itself. By overwhelming the continents health and social services, by creating millions
of orphans, and by decimating health workers and teachers, AIDS is causing social and
economic crises which in turn threaten political stability In already unstable societies, this
cocktail of disasters is a sure recipe for more conflict. And conflict, in turn, provides fertile
ground for further infections (2000 UN press release, in Fourie & Schnteich. 2002:2).
HIV/AIDS is, cause and effect, initiator and beneficiary, of instability and conflict
(UNAIDS.2003:1). HIV/AIDS has become such a serious issue that the disease is specifically
addressed in The Millennium Development Goals, where Goal 6 aims to Combat HIV/AIDS,
malaria and other diseases and the Target in this regard is to have halted and begun to reverse
the spread of HIV/AIDS by 2015, specifically: the reduced HIV prevalence among 15-24 year
old pregnant women ; the increased Condom use rate of the contraceptive prevalence rate; and
to have reduced the number of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS (Millennium Development
Goals).
The HIV/AIDS pandemic is posing an ever increasing threat to human security. The relationship
between health and human security and health and development, is discussed, specifically the
health problems that may affect human security and the need for governments to securitize
health. The impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic on the different dimensions of human security as
categorised by the 1994 UNDP Human Development Report, are discussed separately. The
impact of HIV/AIDS on the agricultural sector of highly affected countries, specifically SubSaharan Africa is discussed, with specific mention of the impact of HIV/AIDS on agricultural
extension service organisations. The socio-economic consequences of HIV/AIDS with regards
to Aids related orphan crime and the possible emergence of AIDS-related national crises in
Africa are explored. The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in South-Africa and its policy and human
rights framework responses are looked at. HIV/AIDS among women and the gender bias they
consequently face are mentioned. HIV/AIDS as a key concern of Human Rights is discussed.
The relationship between Health, Human Security and Development
The 1994 UNDP Human Development Report introduced a new concept of human security,
which equates security with people rather than territories, with development rather than
weapons. (UNAIDS.2003:1) Furthermore, the basic thrust of the 2003 report of the Commission
on Human Security is human- centred, and while the concept of human security is not
antagonistic towards the security of nation states, it focuses on an individual in all of his/her
human dimensions, beyond political boundaries (Chen. 2004:58). Human Security, furthermore,

compliments and reinforces the twin concepts of human rights and human development (Chen.
2004:58). The commission adopted the following definition of human security, namely any
threat that challenged the security of an individual or people or population (Chen. 2004:58).
Threats, include war and conflict, and poverty and impoverishment and are highly interactive
(Chen. 2004:59). Good health is intrinsic to human security, since human survival and good
health are the core of security and since good health enables the full range of human
functioning and permits human choice, freedom, and development (Chen. 2004:59). Although,
Human Security and Health are linked, they are not synonymous. While human security
consisting of human survival, livelihoods and dignity, is the vital core of human security, poor
health consisting of illness, injury, disability and death, are critical threats to human security
(Chen. 2004:59). Furthermore the linkage between health and development is clear in the
statement made by the Commission that the attainment of health is not possible without peace
and equitable development (Chen. 2004:60).
The most relevant clusters of health problems that threaten human security are: health crises
during conflict and humanitarian emergencies; infectious diseases; and health problems due to
poverty and inequity (Chen. 2004:59). These cluster of health problems are the most relevant to
human security, since they meet the criteria of: 1. scale, in the sense that health problems
affecting large numbers of people are considered higher priority; 2. urgency, referring to health
problems that create emergencies such as an epidemic or war; 3. intensity, referring to the socioeconomic impact of diseases; and 4. Externalities, referring to events that generate spillover
effects onto other problems, such transmitted infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS (Chen.
2004:59-60). The commission established this criteria for prioritizing which health problems
are linked to security as to avoid confusion as many considered health as too broad or vague
(Chen. 2004:60).
Another issue of great importance, which was deliberated by the Commission, was the issue of
securitization of health, which implies a higher political and budgetary prioritization of health
in the state sector, as opposed to exclusive high defence and military prioritization to ensure
state security (Chen. 2004:61). Many countries, specifically poorer developing countries do not
rank health as high priority in their budget spending to ensure human security, therefore one of
the political purposes for labelling health a human security issue is to encourage governments to
ensure adequate public expenditures for primary health care (Chen. 2004:61).
The question remains which health problems should be prioritized and therefore securitized
by national governments. Chen believes there are three tiers of health problems that face
increasing difficulty in political acceptance, namely: 1. health processes so tightly linked to
military security that they are easily accepted by the security community, such as epidemics, the
health of soldiers, the induction of illness among combatants and biological warfare and
bioterrorism; 2. Health processes that are increasingly accepted as security threats, such as

infectious disease epidemics, like HIV/AIDS of which the scale and intensity of devastation is
so vast that it not only poses national threats to different governments, but a global health
security threat; and 3. Health conditions deserving of human security and prioritization, but
which encounters the greatest resistance of acceptance as security threats, namely the set of
health problems confronting the worlds poorest people, which includes preventable lethal
childhood infections, preventable childhood malnutrition, preventable hazards to childbirth that
kill many women, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Chen. 2004:61-62).
Health problems among the poor must be seen as a huge human security failure, and not just a
moral/humanitarian or development failure (Chen. 2004:62-63). Interdependence among
different insecurities such as health, education, war and poverty, exists and these dimensions of
deprivation is the greatest human security threat. Therefore, health and development should
constitute a central goal of human security (Chen. 2004:63).
The impact of HIV/AIDS on the different dimensions of Human Security
The impact of HIV/AIDS on Human Security globally is vast. The UNDP in its 1994 Human
Development Report pioneered the concept of Human Security as a people-centric account of
security that revolves around the needs of the individual rather than around the protection of
states (Elbe. 2006:203). The Report categorised Human Security into six dimensions, namely
Economic Security, Food Security, Personal Security, Community Security, Political Security
and Health Security (Elbe. 2006:207-210).
Economic security can be defined as an assured basic income from productive and remunerative
work or from a publicly financed safety net. Economic security is one of the most important
components of human security affected by HIV/AIDS in the sense that the illness have a
negative economic impact on all three levels, namely the individual, the family as well the
national income or GDP (Elbe. 2006:207). In countries with an HIV prevalence rate of more
than 20 percent, GDP can shrink annually by 1-2 percent and these countries can by estimation
lose 20 percent of their GDP by 2020 (UN Security Council Report (2002), in Fourie &
Schnteich. 2002: 4). The reasons for the decline in macro-economic output, is the fact that the
disease affects not only the very young and the old, but also the economically productive
segments of the population including economic elites, such as doctors and lawyers (Elbe.
2006:207). Economists have identified several major areas of macro-economic vulnerability,
which include: effects on the labour supply and productivity, remuneration cost increases,
demand changes among households, higher government expenditure, as well as instances of
severe risk exposure in key sectors of the economy (Fourie & Schnteich. 2002: 8). Direct and
Indirect costs to businesses due to the incidence of HIV/AIDS among employees, include:
higher contributions to employees pensions, as well as life, disability and medical benefits
schemes; costs resulting from absenteeism and additional recruitment; and costs to train new
personnel to replace sick or deceased personnel (Elbe. 2006:207). The economic impact for

ordinary people at the household level outweighs the macro-economic impact by far.
Households experience a twofold impact of a reduced earning capacity as well as a decrease in
productivity, as persons are unable to work or are tied down to take care of affected family
members (Elbe. 2006:207). Affected household furthermore carries the burden of funeral
expenditures, legal costs and medical bills (Elbe. 2006:207). Its often the absence of economic
security that propels people into sex work for a living, and many end up in prison where they
face a higher risk of infection (Fourie & Schnteich. 2002: 4).
Food security is another dimension of human security that is severely impacted by HIV/AIDS.
Food security can be defined as that all people at all times have both physical and economic
access to basic food. This requires not just enough food to go round. It requires that people have
ready access to food (Elbe. 2006:208). Even if food is physically available, people may still
starve if they dont have any economic right or entitlement to the food due to lacking the
purchasing power (Elbe. 2006:208). Frankenberger and McCaston, (in van Liere 2002:4)
furthermore state that it is difficult to discuss food security independently of wider livelihood
and poverty considerations. Household livelihood security is defined as adequate and
sustainable access to income and resources to meet basic needs, including access to food,
potable water, health facilities, educational opportunities, housing, time for community
participation and social integration (Frankenberger and McCaston, in van Liere. 2002: 4). All
or most of these are indirectly threatened by the HIV/AIDS epidemic (van Liere.2002:4)
Another dimension of Human Security, impacted by HIV/AIDS, is Personal Security.
HIV/AIDS infested people face abuse and violent attacks within society due to the stigma
attached to the illness (Elbe. 2006:208). The violence can in worst case scenarios lead to the
premature death of HIV infected people and in some cases even people thought to have the
disease (Elbe. 2006:208). Increased domestic violence has also been noted to increase in HIV
infected households (Elbe. 2006:209).
HIV/AIDS has impacted Community Security, another dimension of Human Security in a
dramatic way. The Human Development Report (in, Elbe. 2006:209) defines Community
Security as threats to the groups-such as family and wider social communities-to which
individuals belong and on which they rely for survival. The biggest impact of HIV/AIDS on
Community Security has been the incidence of AIDS orphans (Elbe. 2006:209). Up to 14
million children have thus far (2006) been orphaned by HIV/AIDS, and apart from having to
fend for themselves due to lack of family support, are furthermore more vulnerable to
malnutrition, illness, abuse, and sexual exploitation, including having to exchange sexual
services in return for money, shelter, food and protection (Elbe. 2006:209). However, the large
number of anticipated AIDS orphans has led the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) to
conclude that Africas age-old social safety net for such children, in the form of deep-rooted
kinship systems and extended-family networks, is unable to cope with the strain of AIDS and

soaring numbers of orphans in the most affected countries, and stated: capacity and resources
are stretched to breaking point, and those providing the necessary care in many cases are already
impoverished, often elderly and might themselves have depended financially and physically on
the support of the very son or daughter who has died (UNICEF, in Fourie & Schnteich.
2002:13). Banning and/or displacement of PLWHAs (People living with HIV/AIDS), from
their communities, due to discrimination practices fuelled by the stigma attached to HIV/AIDS,
have a detrimental impact on them, since they become isolated from their social support
networks and places of employment (Elbe. 2006:209).
The Political Security of countries with high HIV/AIDS infection rates are furthermore
impacted, since the disease affect people indiscriminately, whether rural unskilled worker or
economic urban elite. Political elites, the Police force and the military, representatives of the
justice system, and government bureaucrats can all be affected at times when their skills are
needed most (Elbe. 2006:209). Access to and distribution of life-prolonging medicines is an
issue that can furthermore create political divisions within countries (Elbe. 2006:210).
The Health Security of countries is impacted by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Apart from AIDS
related mortality, the wider impact is twofold: first, it increases the number of people seeking
health services, overstretching medical resources, denying patients with curable diseases access
to healthcare, and leading to rising medical costs; and secondly, HIV/AIDS has a negative
impact on the supply of medical services, due to doctors and nurses contracting the disease,
leading to absenteeism, as well as the migration of medical professionals to developed countries
where they have access to medicines to save lives (Elbe. 2006:210).
High degrees of socio-economic insecurity, social exclusion and political instability provide the
breeding ground in which AIDS thrives. Individuals who are living in these conditions, such as
migrant workers, displaced people, refugees and ostracised minorities worldwide, face much
higher risk of infection. (Fourie & Schnteich. 2002: 4) In the past decade, HIV/AIDS has also
emerged as a major threat in emergency settings and where humanitarian operations can place
both relief workers and local populations at greater risk of infection HIV (Fourie & Schnteich.
2002: 4). There is an increased likelihood of sexual violence and prostitution among refugee
populations and it broadens and accelerates the spread of HIV (Fourie & Schnteich. 2002:4).
Mobile workers such as long-distance truck drivers have a higher probability of being HIVinfected than their communities of origin, as well as migrant labourers who are separated from
their families for prolonged periods of time, are more prone to visit prostitutes or have multiple
sexual partners, become HIV-positive, and then return to their primary sexual partners to spread
the virus in those home communities (Fourie & Schnteich. 2002: 6).

The impact of HIV/AIDS on agriculture and rural areas

The agricultural sector in developing third world agrarian societies is the biggest economic
sector in those countries generating GDP. Most third world people live off the land in
subsistence agriculture. These societies are hit the hardest with HIV/AIDS infections, due to
customary and traditional practices, as well as the lack of HIV/AIDS education. As over 70
percent of the population in sub-Saharan Africa consists of farmers and other rural occupations,
engaged in agriculture, impact will first be felt in the agriculture sector (van Liere. 2002:2,4)
Examples from Tanzania and Zimbabwe, tell the story of reduced crop production and shifts to
less labour-intensive cropping systems (van Liere. 2002:2,4). The FAO has estimated that in the
27 most affected countries in Africa, 7 million agricultural workers have died from AIDS since
1985 and 16 million more deaths are likely in the next two decades. Several studies have shown
reduction in production and shifts in farming system (van Liere. 2002:2).
There is also a severe challenge to Agricultural Extension Services, in developing nations,
particularly Sub-Saharan Africa. Due to the HIV/AIDS pandemic, which has decimated farming
populations and rural areas, serious challenges now also exist for agricultural extensive services,
who by their mandate and character deal with small scale farmers and traditional, mostly
illiterate, rural households in providing them with technical advice on agricultural technologies,
and advice on farm input supply, credit, marketing and farm management (Qamar. 2003:894).
The impact of HIV/AIDS on not only the farming and rural population, but also on the
agricultural extension services, its agents and officials and their families, as well as their partner
institutions are listed by Qamar and are briefly: extension service staffs heightened risk of
exposure to HIV infection, due to their frequent visits to the rural areas; some are already
themselves suffering from HIV; the time, money and energy burden of taking care of their own
HIV infected relatives and minor children; the pressure of attending an increasing amount of
funerals at a financial cost and distracting them from farming activities; low morale, depression
and economic worries among extension service workers, due to the loss of colleagues, and far
heavier workloads; disruption in the extension service programmes due to staff absenteeism and
death; the increasing costs for extension service organizations for the treatment of sick staff and
their relatives, the funerals for dead staff, recruitment and training of new staff, and buying
insurance coverage; administrative, strategic, policy and operational practices of all relevant
organization going obsolete, due to drastic changes in social structures, including income levels,
patterns of life and types of clientele; the negative implications for other organisation who are
linked to extension services such as those who provide credit, technology packages, marketing
facilities, land tenure and plant protection; new clientele, such as widows and orphans, applying
for rural credit, requiring new criteria for applicants to qualify, but which does not exist
straining extension service officers; the changing composition of clientele for extension
services, to increasingly include the elderly, widowed, the young, orphans and physically weak;

the increasing need of farmers to receive HIV/AIDS education, which the extension workers are
unable to provide and the worsening supply of farm labour, food insecurity and poverty due to
able bodied adults being lost and households being taken over by the elderly, the weak, and
orphans, with limited earning (Qamar. 2003:894-900).
The socio-economic consequences of HIV/AIDS
The sosio-economic impact of HIV/AIDS is particularly rife in Africa and specifically SubSaharan Africa. The pandemic has given rise to the possible emergence AIDS-related national
crises as well as a higher incidence of orphan related crime.
Taking a pessimistic view of current trends in Africa, such as in Zimbabwe, De Waal foresees
the emergence of AIDS-related national crises (ARNCs). The HIV/AIDS pandemic may afflict
the future governance, peace and security of African countries to such an extent, that ARNCs
(Aids Related National Crisis) may occur (De Waal. 2002:190-191). Each ARNC will manifest
itself as a crisis of governance, corruption, armed conflict or social conflict, appearing to be a
normal crisis (De Waal. 2002:192). This pandemic-induced crises manifests itself in a range of
other social, economic and political pathologies, fastening itself onto the weak points of
governance or socio-political relations that already occur in a given society, for example if a
country is at war, the conduct of the armed forces, is likely to be an area in which the ARNC
emerges (De Waal. 2002:192).
There are sufficient early warning systems of the full scale development of national HIV/AIDS
epidemics in Africa, according to de Waal (2002:193), but the problem is that countries do not
know how to respond to ARNCs. Conventional responses by neighbouring African countries
and the International community to ARNCs, such as diplomatic dialogue, negotiations,
conditionalities on aid, and even sanctions, will, according to De Waal (2002:193), not work. A
further problem may be the unwillingness of key decision makers, to acknowledge the AIDS
related dimension to the problem (De Waal. 2002: 193). The HIV/AIDS pandemic cannot be
prevented, but the effects can be mitigated (De Waal. 2002: 194). ARNCs on the other hand are
preventable, by means of early warning and preparedness and targeted interventions aimed at
specific areas in which HIV/AIDS interacts with governance (De Waal. 2002: 194). De Waal
argues that the prospect of ARNCs should shape the governance agenda and the HIV/AIDS
programming of individual African countries (De Waal. 2002: 194-195).
The socio-economic impact of HIV/AIDS is the most dramatic and visible in the staggering rise
of children being orphaned due to HIV/AIDS. Aids related orphaning specifically impact our
sosio-economic stability and security, in the area of crime. Growing up without a parent or
parents, and badly supervised by relatives and welfare organisations, Southern Africas
burgeoning orphan population will be at greater than average risk to engage in criminal activity
(Fourie & Schnteich. 2002: 13-14). The many orphaned African children who will grow up

under extreme levels of poverty will be sorely tempted, or even obliged for the sake of their
physical survival, to commit a range of property related crimes. These crimes would include the
theft of food and clothing by shoplifting and residential burglary, or the theft of other items that
can be sold or traded for the necessities of life. Older orphans in their early teenage years might
resort to mugging and robbery to make ends meet (Fourie & Schnteich. 2002: 13-14). A large
influx of orphaned children into the urban slums surrounding many African cities will
exacerbate socio-economic conditions, thereby creating a vibrant breeding ground for a variety
of social ills such as crime. Moreover, the frequency of certain types of crime such as gang
related crimes, vehicle thefts, robberies and burglaries is higher in cities than in rural areas,
with the rate generally increasing according to city size (Fourie & Schnteich. 2002: 14).
Pharoah and Weiss (2005:800-801) argues that there are three main ways in which AIDS related
orphaning may lead to higher levels of crime and instability, namely: that the death of parents
leave children scarred and marginalised in ways that predisposes them to delinquency and
criminal behaviour; secondly that growing numbers of orphans provide a ready recruitment pool
for organisations that violently oppose the status quo of the existing socio-political order in
African countries; and lastly, that the demographic change brought about by the pandemic,
especially the fact that young adults and adolescents are now over represented, will create
additional problems such as crime. Schnteich (in, Pharoah and Weiss. 2005:801) speculates
that due to the disproportionate number of young men between the ages of 15 and 24 in highly
affected countries, the incidence of crime, specifically violent crime and group based
aggression, will increase.
HIV/AIDS in South-Africa
HIV/AIDS has left a huge scar in the economic and social security of South Africa. South
Africa has the highest number of people infected globally, estimated at around 5.3 million,
including 220 000 children under the age of 15 years, in 2008 (UNAIDS 2009, in
www.aids.org.za). South Africa ranks in the top five highest HIV prevalence countries in the
world, with 17.5% of the population estimated to be infected (www.aids.org.za). The UNAIDS
2009 Global Report Epidemic Update estimated that in 2008, 310 000 people died from AIDS in
South Africa (www.aids.org.za). South Africa is regarded as having the most severe HIV
epidemic in the world (www.aids.org.za). It is estimated that by 2010, the South-African
economy will be 22 percent smaller than it would have been without HIV/AIDS, amounting to a
cost of US$ 17 billion (De Waal. 2002:191).
The policy and human rights response of South-Africa has been exemplarily. The South African
Human Rights Commission was the first national human rights body in the world to publicly
endorse and adopt the International Guidelines on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights. Further, the
Commission addressed HIV/AIDS as a human rights issue at its first national conference. One
of the outcomes of the conference was a resolution stating that discrimination against PLWHA

violated the South African constitution, which was made possible due to efforts by the AIDS
Law Project/AIDS Legal Network, South Africa that held the government accountable for
upholding its political commitment in implementing the Guidelines. (Program on International
Health and Human Rights et al. 2004:9)
HIV/AIDS prevalence among women
Women make up the majority of those infected with HIV. Kristofferson (2000:597) argues that
the economic, food, health, personal and political security of women in particular are at greater
risk than those of men due to their physical, emotional and material differences and due to the
existing social, economic and political inequalities between men and women. The vulnerability
of women and the spread of HIV/AIDS among women are exacerbated by conflict and
emergency situations and according to Kristofferson (2000:598) are the following factors
enhancing the spread of HIV infections in emergency situations, namely: 1. Sexual violence,
where rape is used as a weapon of war and women considered as bounty; 2. The breakdown in
social structure and legal protection, leading to transitory sexual relationships involving a great
many partners, and young people getting involved with sex and marriage at an early stage, due
to the absence of leisure, education and employment opportunities; 3. The lack of Health
infrastructure, limiting the access to condoms, preventing the treatment of STDs, preventing the
availability of mother-to-child transmission drugs, limiting the availability of trained medical
staff, and excluding privacy and confidentiality as well as proper care and support for HIV
infected people; 4. Womens desire to meet their basic needs and create economic opportunities,
accomplished through exchanging sex for food, shelter, resources, money and protection; 5. The
lack of education and skills training for women, increasing their dependency to get involved in
risk behaviour; and 6. The presence of military and peacekeeping forces with high rates of HIV
infections, and who abuse their power to get what they want from refugees, women and
children.
HIV/AIDS and Human Rights
HIV/AIDS is a key concern in Human Rights and increasingly international law, obliging
national laws and constitutions are being passed to ensure non-discrimination and legal rights
for those infected with HIV. The first global AIDS strategy, developed in 1987, made it clear
that Human rights are fundamental to any response to HIV/AIDS. Human Rights are universal
legal guarantees protecting individuals and groups against actions that interfere with
fundamental freedoms and human dignity. The promotion and protection of human rights
empower individuals and communities to respond to HIV/AIDS, to reduce vulnerability to HIV
infection and to lessen the adverse impact of HIV/AIDS on those affected. (Program on
International Health and Human Rights et al. 2004:1). According to Resolution 49/1999 of the
UN Commission on Human Rights is Discrimination on the basis of HIV or AIDS status,

10

actual or presumed, prohibited by existing international human rights standards (in UNDPKSA. 2002:4). Another resolution, passed in April 2004, by the Commission on Human Rights
recognizes that access to HIV treatment is fundamental to progressively achieving the right to
health and calls on governments and international bodies to take specific steps to enable such
access (Program on International Health and Human Rights et al. 2004:4).
Conclusion
The HIV/AIDS pandemic is ripping away at our social, economic, political and personal
security, greatly affecting not only our individual human security, but also the socio-political
stability of countries, as the disease eats away our skills bases, our social networks, our national
incomes and our political stability. The HIV/AIDS pandemic is the first health issue not only to
pose great human security risks, but also national security risks. It adversely affects all
dimensions of human security, namely economic security, food security, personal security,
community security, political security and health security. The disease has severe impacts on
agrarian based developing countries where agriculture is the main source of GDP and
subsistence income for the majority of the populations and where lack of proper HIV/AIDS
education, leads to fatal decreases in agricultural output. Aids related national crises in African
countries may occur, but are preventable, by means of early warning and preparedness and
targeted interventions aimed at specific areas in which HIV/AIDS interacts with governance.
The sosio-economic impact of HIV/AIDS is no more visible than the incidence of AIDS orphan
related crime. The economic, food, health, personal and political security of women in particular
are at greater risk than those of men due to their physical, emotional and material differences
and due to the existing social, economic and political inequalities between men and women.
South-Africa is the worst affected country in the world, but its HIV/AIDS related human rights
policies and laws, lessen the sosio-economic impact on PLWHAs, and ensure human security.
The HIV/AIDS pandemic are growing worse, affecting the human security of millions of people
worldwide especially Sub-Saharan Africa. I conclude with a quote from Fourie & Schnteich
(2002: 17), We are dying. Our economy is under threat. The enemy is attacking the elite in our
society, but also the children, the elderly and the infirm. Using the urge at the core of what
makes us human the will to reproduce it has already infiltrated our schools, houses, mines,
governments and churches. The threat to Southern Africas human security is such that those of
us who are not infected, dying and dead are certainly equally affected by the disease. This state
of affairs is partly the result of our historical legacy of poverty, creating a confluence of time
and space that makes this continent the Armageddon of HIV/AIDS. And we are losing. Yet we
are in denial. The Political Science community ignores the issue, and our governments ponder
the causal link between HIV and AIDS whilst the latter is already affecting our food security,
our livelihoods, and our sense of community.

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