HIV-sensitive social protection: an assessment of east and southern Africa’s social protection policies and programmes

Abstract

Despite notable political and financial commitment to fight the HIV epidemic, east and southern Africa (ESA) remains the world regions  most affected. Given increasing calls for the implementation of HIV-sensitive social protection programmes to address the multiple  individual, community and societal factors that heighten the risk of HIV infection, this article explores the extent to which social  protection mechanisms in the region are HIV sensitive. The article is based on a two-phase project where the first phase entailed a  desktop review of national social protection policies and programmes. In the second phase, multisectoral stakeholder consultations  conducted were 15 fast-track countries in the region. The key findings suggest that social protection policies and social assistance programmes in ESA do not specifically target HIV issues or people living with, at risk of, or affected by HIV. Rather, and in line with the  countries’ constitutional provisions, the programmes tend to be inclusive of the vulnerabilities of various populations including people  living with HIV. To this end, the programmes can be seen as generally sufficient to encompass HIV-related issues and the needs of people  infected and affected by the epidemic. However, a recurring argument from many stakeholders is that, to the extent that people  living with HIV are often reluctant to either disclose their status and/or access social protection services, it is critical for social protection  policies and programmes to be explicitly HIV sensitive. The article thus concludes by making recommendations in this regard as well as  by making a class for multisectoral partners to work collaboratively to ensure that social protection policies and programmes are  transformative.