Young AIDS Migrants in Southern Africa

Abstract

Many young people in southern Africa engage in AIDS-related migration. Research conducted with urban and rural-based children in Malawi and Lesotho revealed that children are commonly sent to live with relatives resident elsewhere. They move in order to receive care, to care others, or to support their own livelihoods. Migration has a variety of impacts on young people, many of which are exacerbated by the effects of the epidemic. It is advocated that policy approaches for AIDS-affected children take into account the interests of children themselves and the needs of households that accommodate them.