AIDS, orphans, crime, and instability: Exploring the linkages

Do children orphaned by AIDS represent a unique threat to security and stability or do they pose a predominantly humanitarian problem?

HIV/AIDS is leaving millions of children orphaned and living in situations of acute vulnerability. The idea that growing numbers of children orphaned by AIDS could pose a serious threat to individual and communal security in some African countries has gained substantial currency over the last five years. Consequently, few discussions on the effects of HIV/AIDS now fail to mention the seemingly common-sense connection between rising numbers of impoverished orphans and increasing levels of crime and conflict.

This connection is generally presented as a neat, linear relationship. Is this the case? Do children orphaned by AIDS represent a unique threat to security and stability or do they pose a predominantly humanitarian problem? Are there factors that may make a difference in determining the ultimate impact of the epidemic for both parentless young people and society? This paper explores these questions in the context of sub-Saharan Africa.

About the author

Robyn Pharoah is a senior researcher for the AIDS and Security Project at the Institute for Security Studies, with a background in applied health and HIV/AIDS-related research. Taya Weiss is a Johannesburg-based consultant who has written extensively on small arms, conflict, and related issues. Her most recent work focuses on Sierra Leone and the Mano River Basin.