The Threat Posed by the Economic Crisis to Universal Access to HIV Services for Migrants

The objective of this paper is to give an overview of the potential impact of the current crisis on migrant and mobile populations in Southeast Asia, and assess how the likely increase in unsafe mobility with its accompanying risks and vulnerabilities for HIV transmission will affect the health of people on the move. The economic crisis will have severe consequences for employment and poverty in the region as it often pushes out of the labor market the most vulnerable, such as migrants. Migrant workers vulnerabilities to HIV will likely be exacerbated with increasing deterioration of their economic opportunities.

Further, we know that even during the best economic times the combination of social, cultural, linguistic, legal and behavioral barriers affect migrants’ access to information and to prevention, health and social services. These conditions are likely to worsen during the economic downturn.