The Impact of HIV/AIDS on Children's Living Arrangements and Migration in Rural South Africa
Author(s): K. Ford V. Hosegood
The aim of this paper is to identify the characteristics of children and households in a rural area of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa which suffers from a high rate of HIV prevalence, in relation to patterns of child migration in South Africa. The study is based on data from the Africa Centre Demographic Information System (ACDIS) that includes information about all household members in 2000, including evidence of children's mobility in KwaZulu. In the first instance, the results of the research show that in 2000 there was a high level of household and individual mobility in the area which was mirrored by a high level of child migration. Taking into account the effects of AIDS on household and child mobility, the research demonstrates that although adult AIDS death is not significantly associated with household migration, it is associated with the risk of child migration. Children from households in which an adult died from AIDS in 2000 are 1.6 times more likely to migrate. Furthermore, the risk of migration is stronger when the adult member who died was the child's mother or father. Finally, the results reveal that migration and mortality in children are strongly related. Children who died in 2000 were 78.9 times more likely to undertake migration prior to their death compared with children who survived.