Poverty, Migration and the Transmission of HIV/AIDS in District Dir Lower, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Abstract

Poverty, a multifaceted concept has been defined as: hunger; lack of shelter; being sick and not being able to see a doctor; having no access to a job; lack of freedom: fear for the future. Historically, people have migrated from one place to another to increase their livelihood and improve the living standards of their left behind families, while the process of globalization has intensified the movement of people across the world. Although, migration has been an important source of remittance and help in socioeconomic uplift of migrant families, however; it has also negatively impacted migrants and their families. Migrants are exposed to different risks and vulnerabilities at their destinations, which exposes them to many other health problems including their exposure of contracting HIV/AIDS. This study was conducted in the District Lower Dir of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan with the objectives to know the relationship between poverty, migration and transmission of HIV/AIDS. The study was qualitative in nature while the selection of the sample has been made under the purposive sampling technique. Primary data was collected from 12 respondents through in-depth interview using interview guide. The collected information was analyzed thematically in order to clarify the issue under study. The study concluded that migrants: face unsafe environments; lesser access to information and health services; precarious working and living condition; exposure to risky behaviors which put them at risk of contracting the disease.