War, forced migration, and HIV/AIDS risks in Angola

Victor Agadjanian, Arizona State University

This paper examines long-term effects of prolonged civil war in Angola on internally displaced persons’ (IDPs) HIV/AIDS risks. It is based on a representative survey conducted in June of 2004 in two suburban municipalities of greater Luanda—one where IDPs constitute a large proportion of the population and another where the share of IDPs is relatively small. The survey sample included 1080 persons, both IDPs and non-IDPs, a roughly equal number of men and women. The survey was complemented by a series of semi-structured interviews with IDPs in both municipalities. The theoretical model posits that IDPs’ HIV/AIDS risks are shaped both by the trauma and circumstances of their flight and by their persistent marginalization at places of destination. It is also proposed that these effects differ significantly by gender. A combination of multivariate statistical techniques and qualitative analyses is used to test these theoretical propositions.