CHILD Protection & Rights > Protection
Issues > Protecting Hiv/Aids Affected
Children From Vulnerability And Discrimination
1. The Status of Children infected
by HIV or living with family members affected by HIV/AIDS
Facts and figures :
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HIV/AIDS rivals poverty and exceeds war
as a threat of death of millions of children in the developing
world.
An estimated 9.8 million young people (aged 15-24) are
living with HIV today.
Each day, nearly 6,000 more are infected,
as well as 1,800 babies contract the virus from their mothers
during pregnancy, birth or through breastfeeding.
At the end of 2007, there were 2.5 million
children living with HIV around the world. 420,000 children
became newly infected with HIV/AIDS in 2007.
15 million children worldwide have lost one or both parents
to AIDS.
Every 14 seconds, another parent dies of AIDS, leaving
behind an orphaned child.
Within 4 years an estimated 25 million children will be
AIDS orphans.
Of the 2.1 million people who died of AIDS during 2007,
more than one in seven were children.
Every hour, around forty children die as a result of AIDS
Less than 10% of pregnant women are being offered services
to prevent transmission of HIV to their infants, despite
the fact that 90% of HIV positive children have been
infected through mother-to-child transmission.
Less than 10% of the children who have been orphaned or
made vulnerable by AIDS receive public support or services.
Less than 5% of children in need have access to life saving
anti-retroviral treatment (ART). |
Sources: Avert, Save the Children, UNICEF, UNAIDS, WHO.
Around 9 out in 10 children affected with HIV live in Sub-Saharan
Africa. Large numbers of children with HIV also live in South/South
East Asia, in the Caribbean and Latin America .
Children are primary victims of the spread of the disease: millions
become orphans or contract the virus themselves.
- Factors responsible of the increasing infection and
vulnerability of children.
Around 90% of all children living with HIV acquired
the infection from their mothers during pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding.
Other sources of infection among children include sexual contact,
sexual abuse; blood transfusion. Drug consumption and use of
un sterilised syringes is also a factor responsible for the increase
of HIV infection.
Some factors that lead to increased number of persons living
with HIV/AIDS going untreated and to the vulnerability of children
include:
• Society's attitude, moralistic view and culture
of silence on such a critical health issue;
• Lack of understanding and awareness of the problem;
• Insufficiency of programmes and awareness initiatives
to inform children about HIV/AIDS;
• Emphasis in public education programmes only on
transmission of HIV/AIDS through sex;
• Lack of proper counselling for testing and fear
of violation of confidentiality and privacy.
• Lack of medical infrastructures and funds to provide
treatment;
• Lack of adequate nutrition for those undergoing
treatment;
• Lack of shelters or rehabilitative infrastructures
as well as counseling and psychological assistance for children
orphans because of HIV/ AIDS;
• Lack of provisions and measures to hold hospitals
and medical practitioners accountable for resorting to unsafe
practices and equipments;
• Lack of a law to deal with the issue and protect
persons living with HIV/AIDS.
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