Benin, Africa

The economy of Benin remains underdeveloped and dependent on subsistence agriculture, cotton production, and regional trade. Growth in real output has averaged around 5% in the past seven years, but rapid population growth has offset much of this increase.
In Benin male/male and female/female sexual contact is Illegal. Accorig to Penal Code of 1996: “Anyone who commits an indecent act or an act against nature with an individual of the same sex will be punished with 1 to 3 years prison and a fine of 100,000 to 500,000 francs.”
According to the 2006 Demographic and Health Survey, Benin has a generalized HIV epidemic, with 1.2 percent of the adult population estimated to be HIV positive. However, concentrated HIV epidemics also exist among at-risk populations, particularly sex workers and their clients, MSM, truck drivers, blood donors, young people, and tuberculosis patients.