‘Mobile men with money’: HIV prevention and the erasure of difference

Abstract

Mobile Men with Money is one of the latest risk categories to enter into HIV prevention discourse. Used in countries in Asia, the Pacific and Africa, it refers to diverse groups of men (e.g. businessmen, miners and itinerant wage labourers) who, in contexts of high population movement and economic disparity, find themselves at heightened risk of HIV as members of a 'most-at-risk population', or render others vulnerable to infection. How adequate is such a description? Does it make sense to develop HIV prevention programmes from such understandings? The history of the epidemic points to major weaknesses in the use of terminologies such as 'sex worker' and 'men who have sex with men' when characterising often diverse populations. Each of these terms carries negative connotations, portraying the individuals concerned as being apart from the 'general population', and posing a threat to it. This paper examines the diversity of men classified as mobile men with money, pointing to significant variations in mobility, wealth and sexual networking conducive to HIV transmission. It highlights the patriarchal, heteronormative and gendered assumptions frequently underpinning use of the category and suggests more useful ways of understanding men, masculinity, population movement, relative wealth in relation to HIV vulnerability and risk.

Mobility among youth in Rakai, Uganda: Trends, characteristics, and associations with behavioural risk factors for HIV

“…Our study measured mobility using data on migration and travel, an approach consistent with the literature (Aggleton, Bell, & Kelly-Hanku, 2014; Cassels, Manhart, Jenness, & Morris, 2013; Goldenberg, Strathdee, Perez-Rosales, & Sued, 2012). Data were collected via direct, self/proxy-reported measures.…”

Understanding the Social Influences on Engaging Key Populations With HIV Prevention: A Qualitative Study With Men Who Have Sex With Men in Three Indonesian Cities

“…This involves understanding how HIV prevention strategies might be strengthened by being grounded in the social practices of affected groups and communities-these are the locally meaningful, socially, and relationally situated actions that people engage in with others to transform and enhance their social lives (Kippax & Stephenson, 2016). It also involves questioning the current application of the concept of key populations as a means of targeting HIV program and service responses to vulnerable populations and groups (Aggleton, Bell, & Kelly-Hanku, 2014;Parker, Aggleton, & Perez-Brumer, 2016). This is because the use of generic terms such as MSM (i.e., men who have sex with men) has been criticised for homogenising the often diverse lived experiences of people believed to fit this category (Parker et al, 2016).…”

Sex in the Green Lodging: The Voices of Medically Circumcised Fishermen on the Shores of Lake Victoria, Western Kenya

“…The term 'mobile men with money' is one of the latest risk categories to enter into HIV prevention discourse. Used in countries in Asia, the Pacific and Africa, it refers to diverse groups of men (e.g., businessmen, miners and itinerant wage labourers) who, in contexts of high population movement and economic disparity, find themselves at heightened risk of HIV as members of a 'most-at-risk population', or render others vulnerable to infection [6][7][8].…”