Africa: Structural adjustment policies increase women's and children's vulnerability to HIV/AIDS

This article evaluates the potential impact of the IMF and WB adjustment policies on women's and children's vulnerability to HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. The study finds that adjustment policies may inadvertently produce conditions facilitating women's and children's exposure to HIV/AIDS. In particular, it finds that certain components of adjustment reforms, such as currency devaluation and trade liberalisation, may produce mixed effects on the vulnerability of women and children to HIV/AIDS. Other reforms, such as financial liberalisation, removal of food subsidies, and introduction of user fees for healthcare and education have a negative impact on the spread of the epidemic among poor women and children.