Addressing the needs of children affected by HIV

By Ishwar Haobam *

The healthy development of children benefits all of society by providing a solid foundation for economic productivity, responsible citizenship, strong communities and a secure nation.

Addressing the needs of children living with and affected by HIV should be considered an international priority.

But ironically, the world is not doing enough to address the needs of these children. Even the Joint United 'Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) doesn't have the worldwide data they need to effectively address this crisis.

Evidence shows that the number of HIV-affected children is on the rise but a lack of proper documentation is an impediment to addressing the needs of these children.

In Manipur, India, there is a growing awareness of the needs of children affected by HIV but there is a lack of commitment and coordination from government agencies.

The existing epidemiological data available from the Manipur State AIDS Control Society (MSACS) only broadly disaggregates HIV status according to the age of children into two groups from 0 to 11 and 11 to 20.

This makes calculation of the number of children with HIV impossible, since young adults are also included. MSACS needs to rectify this problem and come up with an accurate figure.

Much attention has been paid to the status of injecting drug users (IDUs) since HIV was first detected in Manipur and care and support services for adults living with HIV (PLHIV) are in place. But the support services in Manipur are not sufficiently addressing the needs of children.

Existing antiretroviral (ARV) treatment centres are not child friendly and may not be able to avoid children dropping out of support programmes. Comprehensive child oriented programmes urgently need to be put in place.

The Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) working in this sector are doing commendable work in their efforts of offer support services to children, despite the lack of support from the public sector.

NGOs have been putting pressure on MSACS and the relevant Government departments to conduct situational analyses and a comprehensive study to find out the exact number of HIV-affected children in Manipur but they remain unresponsive.

There are no policies or guidelines for working with children on this issue, let alone the necessary studies to inform the work. The responsibility for management of this crisis should be shared between the private and public sectors, but primarily the Government should be made accountable.

The need of the hour is to strengthen political commitments both locally and globally to the welfare of children affected by HIV and to raise this issue at the next review meeting of the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/ AIDS (UNGASS) in New York in 2008.