What is the evidence that there is no evidence? The link between conflict and HIV/AIDS

The relationship between conflict, sexual violence and the spread of HIV is an important concern for international policy makers. One of the controversial issues is how to assess this relationship for policy purposes, given the unsettled and unpredictable nature of conflict contexts, and also given that HIV/AIDS is still a stigmatized disease. The nature of what constitutes policy-relevant knowledge is furthermore also highly controversial. This article aims to consider the kinds of knowledge that can be evidential for policy making within the context of the debate on conflict and HIV/AIDS. In particular, it focuses on the way particular data and methods are seen as more relevant for evidence-based policy in this context, critically evaluating and considering the influence of the recent high-profile Lancet article ‘Prevalence of HIV infection in conflict-affected and displaced people in seven sub-Saharan African countries: a systemic review’