If the West did decide to reduce aid to African states it...
Cutting aid could produce a change in policy direction
If the West did decide to reduce aid to African states it could pressure African states to change their policies on homosexuality. Africa is renowned for the dependency on aid. Analysts claim that this dependency negates the need for African economies to reform, relying instead on foreign governments and NGOs[1]. This reliance on aid could be exploited to alter policy within those African countries that are unable to act economically independently. This policy has been successful in the past. When Britain cut £19m to Malawi in 2011 for arresting two men for marrying; there was a reversal of government policy in the African state and all anti-homosexual laws were suspended[2]. The equality created by this policy change would allow greater access to retroviral drugs and other HIV/AIDS treatment for the gay community. Laws outlawing homosexuality, and the stigma of the false connection between HIV and homosexuality, have decreased the accessibility of the gay community to treatment[3]. Corrections to these laws, from the economic pressure of aid withdrawal, would allow those with HIV/AIDS in the gay community to seek help without fear of rejections or prosecution. [1] Astier,H. Can aid do more harm than good? 1 February 2006 BBC [2] Karimi,F. ‘Amnesty: Malawi suspends anti-gay laws’ CNN 6 November 2012 [3] Anti-Gay discrimination fuels HIV/AIDS in Africa: Report Reuters 01/03/07