The vulnerability of fishing communities to HIV and AIDS has been widely overlooked by health organisations. Consequently, they have not received the prevention, care and treatment programmes available. This is having devastating impacts on these communities.

The impact of HIV/AIDS in Africa first became apparent in a fishing village on the Ugandan shores of Lake Victoria in 1982. However, the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in fishing communities has not been extensively studied or addressed since this time. Research by the Food and Agriculture Organization’s HIV/AIDS Programme and Sustainable Fisheries Livelihoods Programme examines the impacts of HIV/AIDS on the fishing sector and evaluates current efforts to address these.

HIV/AIDS causes a decline in labour productivity, due to deaths and illness limiting the number of available workers. The associated loss of income for households, combined with increased medical costs, forces many people to sell their fishing equipment. This results in a further decline in productivity. The death of fishers also means a loss of expertise in both the local and global fishing sector.

The research shows:

• HIV/AIDS rates are very high in fishing communities due to a number of factors including the mobility of fishermen and fish traders, long absences from home, cash incomes in the context of poverty and gender inequality.
• The easy availability of commercial sex in ports and at landing stations and a masculine culture that condones or encourages casual sexual encounters are also problems.
• The high mobility of fishing populations may contribute to the transmission of HIV/AIDS between communities.

World Health Organization guidelines have no clear efforts to target fishing communities for prevention, care and mitigation programmes. Guidelines for the fishery sector from the International Labour Organization do not address this issue either. There are some initiatives relating to HIV/AIDS in fishing communities, but these are mostly small-scale and fragmented, often working with isolated communities.

Reducing the impact of HIV/AIDS in fishing communities will require increased efforts and cooperation between governments, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and private sector companies. Priorities include better access to health care and critical medicines, improved education about the causes of HIV/AIDS and support programmes for communities already affected by the disease. This will require significant financial commitments from organisations with the resources to make a difference.

The research makes several policy recommendations:

• Policymakers need to address immediate causes of HIV/AIDS, such as sexual behaviour, as well as the underlying causes that worsen the problem, such as poverty and vulnerability.
• Fishing ministries must raise awareness of issues related to HIV/AIDS in the fisheries sector, initiate appropriate responses and coordinate responsive policies with health ministries.
• Health ministries must ensure better access to health services (such as antiretroviral therapies and HIV/AIDS testing) for fishing communities, as well as support programmes, such as encouraging proper nutrition.
• Local governments can help to assess the impact of HIV/AIDS in communities and provide ‘safety net’ funds.
• NGOs can help funding organisations to identify appropriate projects and help communities to implement these.

Source(s):
‘Impact of HIV/AIDS on fishing communities: Policies to Support Livelihoods, Rural Development and Public Health’, Report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, 2005 Full document.

Funded by: The UK Department for International Development funds SFLP, which is executed by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization

id21 Research Highlight: 9 February 2006

Further Information:
Food and Agriculture Organization HIV/AIDS Programme
Sustainable Development Department
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Viale delle Terme di Caracalla 00100
Rome
Italy

Contact the contributor: hivaids@fao.org

United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization

SFLP Coordination Unit
Sustainable Fisheries Livelihoods Programme
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Viale delle Terme di Caracalla 001000
Rome
Italy

Contact the contributor: SFLP-PCU@fao.org

Sustainable Fisheries Livelihoods Programme

Other related links:
'Minimising the impact of HIV/AIDS on farming households'

'Social networks help Tanzanian children and caregivers cope with HIV/AIDS'

'The southern Africa crisis: food insecurity, HIV/AIDS and the international response'

'Hunger crisis: learning from southern Africa'

'HIV/AIDS and the agricultural sector in eastern and southern Africa: anticipating the consequences'

'Listening and learning are crucial in the response to HIV and AIDS'