HIV/AIDS as a human security threat in West Africa

Abstract

This thesis seeks to explore the human security threats that AIDS constitute to the West African people. West Africa has been badly hit by the AIDS epidemic and studies conducted have situated the discourse as a public health issue only. This thesis challenges that assertion by exploring the complex issues and linkages of HIV/AIDS, Conflict and Human Security in West Africa. Using peacekeepers, women and children as case studies, this thesis analyzed and identified a model for human security in West Africa with a particular emphasis on the right to health and access to anti-retroviral drugs in view of the astronomical rise in the growth of HIV/AIDS in the West African region.