Human Rights Watch Report on Children & HIV Released in Kerala

[Guest guest]

Dear FORUM,

" Future Forsaken: Abuses Against Children Affected by HIV/AIDS in India " the

Human Rights Watch Report is released today at Kesari Memorial Press club Hall,

Trivandrum, Kerala.Mr. Zacharia, renowned writer and social critic of

Kerala released the report and Dr.C.R Soman (Health Activist) received

it.Mr.Gauri Dasan (The Hindu) presided over the function.Mr.Madhu S Nair (New

York) and Dr.Jayasree.A.K (FIRM) also spoke on the occasion. Similar functions

were held in Delhi and Chennai also.

Subhash TV read out the speech of Zama Coursen-Neff in her absence. Following is

the excerpt from her speech.

“Human Rights Watch investigated these problems from late 2003 through the

middle of 2004. Our findings are based on more than 170 first-hand interviews

in Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Delhi. However, it is important to

state very clearly: Children affected by HIV/AIDS are facing discrimination and

exploitation all over India, and not just in these four states.

Children affected by AIDS often face discrimination because they or their family

members are HIV-positive. Some doctors refuse to treat or even touch them.

Some schools expel or segregate them. Many orphanages reject AIDS-affected

children or deny that they house HIV-positive children. Discrimination makes

people afraid to get tested, which contribute to the spread of HIV.

Children from families affected by AIDS may be denied an education, pushed onto

the street, or forced into the worst forms of child labor. These all put them

at greater risk of contracting HIV.

Accurate and complete information about HIV/AIDS is critical to preventing the

spread of HIV and preventing discrimination. But many people in India don’t

know the basic facts about the disease. Professionals who care for children,

teachers, government officials, and the general public need better information

from the government about HIV. So do children themselves. Most secondary

schools don’t offer any AIDS education. Those that do, teach about AIDS at an

age when most children, especially girls, have already dropped out. And out of

school children—who may be the most vulnerable to HIV—aren’t being targeted at

all.

Street children, child sex workers, children of sex workers, Dalits, and

indigenous children suffer even more as they also face other forms of

discrimination. And sexual abuse and violence against women and girls, coupled

with longstanding societal discrimination, makes them especially vulnerable to

HIV transmission. Girls are more likely to be pulled out of school to take care

of a sick family member or to take over domestic work. When they are living

with HIV/AIDS, they may be the last in the family to receive medical care.

These forms of discrimination must also be addressed.

We found some positive examples as well. For example, a few courageous teachers

and NGOs had sensitized parents and made it possible for some children to go to

school. Some officials had intervened when children faced discrimination.

These examples were the exception, not the rule. But they show that the problem

is not cultural and not insurmountable. Discrimination and exploitation of

children affected by HIV/AIDS can be tackled”

The event was jointly organised by Human Rights Watch and FIRM

Love

Subhash T.V

E-mail: <tvsubhash1947@...>