Drimie Scott, Casale Marisa
Food Consumption and Nutrition Division, International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, DC, USA.
AIDS Care. 2009;21 Suppl 1(S1):28-33. doi: 10.1080/09540120902942931.
Several countries in Southern Africa now see large numbers of their population barely subsisting at poverty levels in years without shocks, and highly vulnerable to the vagaries of the weather, the economy and government policy. The combination of HIV/AIDS, food insecurity and a weakened capacity for governments to deliver basic social services has led to the region experiencing an acute phase of a long-term emergency. "Vulnerability" is a term commonly used by scientists and practitioners to describe these deteriorating conditions. There is particular concern about the "vulnerability" of children in this context and implications for children's future security. Through a review of literature and recent case studies, and using a widely accepted conceptualisation of vulnerability as a lens, we reflect on what the regional livelihoods crisis could mean for children's future wellbeing. We argue that an increase in factors determining the vulnerability of households - both through greater intensity and frequency of shocks and stresses ("external" vulnerability) and undermined resilience or ability to cope ("internal" vulnerability) - are threatening not only current welfare of children, but also their longer-term security. The two specific pathways we explore are (1) erosive coping strategies employed by families and individuals; and (2) their inability to plan for the future. We conclude that understanding and responding to this crisis requires looking at the complexity of these multiple stressors, to try to comprehend their interconnections and causal links. Policy and programme responses have, to date, largely failed to take into account the complex and multi-dimensional nature of this crisis. There is a misfit between the problem and the institutional response, as responses from national and international players have remained relatively static. Decisive, well-informed and holistic interventions are needed to break the potential negative cycle that threatens the future security of Southern Africa's children.
在没有冲击的年份里，南部非洲的几个国家现在有大量人口仅能在贫困水平勉强维持生计，并且极易受到天气变化、经济状况和政府政策的影响。艾滋病毒/艾滋病、粮食不安全以及政府提供基本社会服务能力的削弱，导致该地区处于长期紧急情况的急性期。“脆弱性”是科学家和从业者常用的一个术语，用于描述这些不断恶化的状况。在这种背景下，人们尤其关注儿童的“脆弱性”及其对儿童未来安全的影响。通过回顾文献和近期案例研究，并以一种被广泛接受的脆弱性概念化为视角，我们思考区域生计危机对儿童未来福祉可能意味着什么。我们认为，决定家庭脆弱性的因素不断增加——这既体现在冲击和压力的强度和频率加大（“外部”脆弱性），也体现在恢复力或应对能力遭到削弱（“内部”脆弱性）——不仅威胁着儿童当前的福利，也威胁着他们的长期安全。我们探讨的两条具体途径是：(1) 家庭和个人采用的侵蚀性应对策略；(2) 他们缺乏对未来的规划能力。我们的结论是，理解和应对这场危机需要审视这些多重压力源的复杂性，努力理解它们的相互联系和因果关系。迄今为止，政策和方案应对措施在很大程度上未能考虑到这场危机的复杂和多维度性质。问题与机构应对之间存在不匹配，因为国家和国际行为体的应对措施相对停滞不前。需要采取果断、明智且全面的干预措施，以打破可能威胁南部非洲儿童未来安全的潜在恶性循环。
