Samenvatting

In the hard-hit countries by HIV/AIDS, the epidemic has eroded the development gains made in past decades. The spread of HIV is heterogeneous in Sub-Saharan African courtiers, with different peaks which vary geographically and in terms of their distribution among social or economic groups. Thus, there is a pressing need to promote researches and policy making not only at biomedical and behavioural level but also at the underlying social, cultural and economic causes of the epidemic. Although HIV prevention policies and interventions should be based on evidences that show how the disease spreads in the community, however, very few studies have focused on the susceptibility of pastoralists, and therefore there is a great need to acknowledge and document the risk environments which contribute to the spread of HIV/AIDS in pastoral areas to curb the spread of the epidemic. Based on the research in Shinile district of Somali region in Ethiopia, this study aims to identify the risk for the spread of HIV among Shinile pastoralists by looking at the susceptibility factors in the community. In the fieldwork in Ethiopia interviews with 20 people and 3 focus group discussions (FGDs) in the community were conducted. As a tool for identifying susceptibility factors, the study adapted the framework by Tony Barnett and Alan Whiteside and analyzes the research results in terms of identified factors. The research shows that although there is lack of reliable data on the prevalence of the epidemic in the district, HIV/AIDS is a clear and present danger to Shinile pastoral communities. The awareness on HIV/AIDS level in the community are low, the communities have not accepted the presence and the threat associated with the epidemic. The study reveals that migration to urban centers particularly to the neighboring centers with high HIV/AIDS prevalence is likely to be one of the factors which contribute to the spread of the disease to the low risk population. The low awareness and misconceptions on HIV/AIDS compounded by the low access to preventive health services also poses a major risk. In addition, there is a general absence of self- protection among the community, a situation perpetuated by religious and traditional norms. The study also shows that women faces a heightened risk of HIV infection as they have low awareness level due to the ‘women stay home culture’ among pastoralists which limited their access to HIV/AIDS information. Moreover, gender related norms which put women at risk like polygamous marriage, marriage by inheritance, early marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM) are also widely practiced. The striking finding of the research is that being part of pastoral societies, Shinile communities have no experience of violent conflicts among their clan or the neighboring pastoral societies which is known to be common among pastoralists in general. Traditional patterns of sexual networking like wife sharing and multiple sexual partners (pre-marriage and in-marriage) which are promoted in some pastoral societies are not widely acknowledged among Shinile pastoral communities. Finally, the study presents both short term and long term recommendations which contribute towards prevention of HIV spread among the study area. The short term include i) better understanding of the status of the epidemic ii) organise targeted awareness raising campaigns iii) community empowerment to challenge norms and culture on gender issues iv) enhance the involvement of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and community based organisations( CBOs) in response to the epidemic and v) improve access to preventive health services. The long term recommendations are: i) Policy review on development of pastoral areas and ii) Strengthening and diversifying of pastoral livelihoods.