Prostitution was legalized in this predominantly Muslim country in 1969, and today the government tolerates it as long as each prostitute registers with the state, is over 21 years old, and comes regularly to a center run by the Ministry of Health for checkups, education, and medical treatment. And that's a big reason why this West African nation of 10.5 million, according to the World Health Organisation, has an HIV infection rate of about two percent while many of its nearest neighbors face rates several times higher.

This policy briefing from Save the Children and Oxfam calls on the international community to recognise the relationship between the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the Southern African food crisis. The paper briefly provides an overview of prevalence in the region and states that HIV/AIDS has a particularly damaging relationship with food insecurity in that it impacts most heavily the key members of society who can produce food as well as health workers, teachers and others of working age. The relationship between hunger and vulnerability to HIV/AIDS is also discussed.