Romancing the foe : the HIV epidemic and the case for a pragmatic stance on prostitution and illicit drug use in Nigeria

Abstract

This article examines the interplay between prostitution, injection drug use and the spread of HIV/Aids in Nigeria. It also considers how Nigerian criminal law and the unfriendly social attitude to prostitution and illicit drug use vitiate the control of HIV/Aids. The article stresses the need for Nigerian criminal law to maintain a ‘soft stance’ on sex workers and drug users in order to accommodate their needs and vulnerabilities relating to HIV/Aids. It underscores the need to put the overall public health interest in effectively controlling the spread ofHIV over and above the social aversion to prostitution and illicit drug use – an aversion which Nigerian criminal law reflects and reinforces.