HIV / South Africa / Survey Finds Farm Workers Vulnerable to HIV, Particularly Women

PRETORIA, South Africa, July 4, 2008/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Survey Finds Farm Workers Vulnerable to HIV, Particularly Women – An HIV prevalence survey among 10 farms in the Hoedspruit area of the Limpopo Province in South Africa has found that farm workers are highly vulnerable to HIV.

The survey, commissioned by IOM and partner Hoedspruit Training Trust (HTT), found that of the 1500 farm workers who voluntarily participated, 28.5 per cent were living with HIV. A gender breakdown of figures found that  female workers not only had a higher  HIV  prevalence rate of 32.5 per cent compared to 20.9 per cent of male workers, but that those between 18-24 years of age were particularly vulnerable to infection  as they  were three times more likely to have HIV  than their male counterparts.

The survey was carried out to have a better understanding of specific HIV vulnerabilities within the commercial agriculture sector in South Africa. It is typically characterised by small or medium sized farms employing both permanent and seasonal farm workers from surrounding areas in South Africa and from neighbouring countries such as Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Its findings revealed a serious epidemic among this farming community, which is consistent with South Africa’s Department of Health 2006 HIV prevalence data for the local district (24.8 per cent) as well as the prevalence in the province of 29.6 per cent for those aged between 30 -34 years of age.

Not only were HIV infection rates higher among women farm workers, but the survey found that mobility increased their vulnerability to infection. Women who travel more than one hour to work are much more likely to have HIV than their male counterparts with more women than men having to travel such distances.

Dr Clive Evian, who conducted the survey, stressed the need to strengthen the current HIV testing, care and support services as other findings revealed that 60 per cent of all employees and 53 per cent of HIV positive employees were not aware of their HIV status. Worryingly, 25 per cent of HIV positive employees who knew their HIV status said they did not use condoms.

The findings of the survey will provide employers, policy makers as well as employees with a more accurate understanding of the epidemic in the agricultural sector and will thus assist in better programme design as well as monitoring.

Through its Partnership on Mobility and HIV in Southern Africa (PHAMSA) programme funded by the Swedish development agency (Sida), IOM has been working since 2004 to reduce HIV incidence and the impact of AIDS among migrant and mobile workers and their families.

The survey, part of the PHAMSA programme, has “highlighted the need for HIV programmes to target not only individual risk behaviour but also other factors that increase HIV vulnerability such as gender, mobility and living conditions,” according to Barbara Rijks, IOM Regional HIV/AIDS Coordinator for Southern Africa.

SOURCE : International Office of Migration (IOM)