ActionAid to create National Coalition on Children affected HIV/AIDS

[Guest guest]

ActionAid to create National Coalition on Children affected HIV/AIDS

The Public Hearing was held by National Commission for Protection of Child

Rights (NCPCR), in collaboration with ActionAid.

CJ: Narendra Ch

Sat, Dec 26, 2009 11:31:45 IST

ActionAids Country Director Prof Babu Mathew has mooted the idea of formation

of a National Coalition on Children affected HIV/AIDS. He announced this idea at

the end of the first ever Public Hearing on the Rights of Children

Infected/Affected by HIV/AIDS, held at Hyderabad, on December 24, 2009. He was

moved with the terrific life experiences explained by young boys and girls from

various districts of Andhra Pradesh.

The Public Hearing was held by National Commission for Protection of Child

Rights (NCPCR), in collaboration with ActionAid. As many as 16 children, most of

whom have lost their parents due to dreadful HIV/AIDS and themselves affected by

it, are now taken care by their grand parents, who themselves in their late age

and have meager incomes to feed them.

Almost all of them denied nutrition food, a pre-requisite to combat HIV/AIDS,

more than medicines. Prof Mathew said that the coalition will be formed with

like minded people and organizations. He also said that he would explore a

suitable form of PIL before the Supreme Court to make the government accountable

for providing nutrition food to HIV/AIDS affected children, with out leaving

them at the mercy of some NGOs.

Many of these children were also victims of discrimination at schools, by which

they were forced to shift one after another school and some of them even their

towns. Most of them shifted from English Medium Private Convents to Government

Schools, after the death of their parents due to HIV/AIDS.

Many of them look pale, unhealthy, malnourished and under aged in the absence of

nutrition food. In this connection, Prof Mathew also cautioned on the sensitive

issue of keeping identity of such children in confidence. " If we are not

sensitive on right of privacy, children victimization may further worsen. Right

to Privacy is part of Right to Life and Right to Dignity " , he said.

NCPCR Chairperson Dr Santha Sinha presiding over the Public Hearing felt there

is a wide gap from policy formulation to sufferings of the children. She said

that government and non-government organizations should put their head together

to fill up these gaps. " We need to evolve specific solutions with out waiting

for larger policy initiatives " , she said.

She suggested to include the provision of nutrition food in Sarva Siksha

Abhiyan. She also said that Government should provide educational scholarships

to all children affected with HIV/AIDS, besides brought their families under the

purview of Antyodaya scheme.

Deploring that many children infected with HIV/AIDS are being forced to leave

their school, once their health condition is known to others, Dr Sinha said that

institutional mechanism should be evolved to address the issue of stigma at

schools and a special cell should be created at the office of the Commissioner

of School Education.

As a follow-up to this Public Hearing, she suggested to held district level

Public Hearings in the state to examine the stories of many more children.

Dr Santha Sinha said that it is the time for the Government of Andhra Pradesh

to look at setting up of State Commission on Protection of Child Rights, as it

has great role in monitoring and implementation of Right to Education.

R.V.Chadnravadan, Project Director, Andhra Pradesh State AIDS Control Society

(APSACS) said that there are about 50,000 children affected with HIV/AIDS in the

state and every month many more children are joining. All the children covered

by ATR centers will soon get nutrition food too, he said.

Though Government of India directed to provide Antyodaya cards, that enables

every family to have 35 kgs rice free every month, to every HIV/AIDS affected

family, he said the State Government has decided to issue fresh cards only to

the extent of bogus cards unearthed.

He said first time in the country, they are introducing pension to all HIV/AIDS

affected people and they were given identity cards also to access all benefits

provided by the government.

He suggested that Government should cancel reorganization to schools where

discrimination shown towards HIV children and district level legal coordinators

should be arranged to help HIV/AIDS affected people to fight on their property

rights.(EOM)

http://www.merinews.com/article/actionaid-to-create-national-coalition-on-childr\

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