Re: NACO Set to Cancel HIV+ Kids Programme !?

[Guest guest]

Dear Forum Members,

(This is in response to some web and press articles, especially the one by Rasik

Sharma - Indian Government Set to Cancel HIV+ Kids Programme - mail appended

below.)

India HIV/AIDS Alliance organised a Children's Day event titled " Voices of the

Community " on 12th November to listen to children, caregivers and civil society

representatives and to discuss the urgent and ongoing needs to provide a

continuum of care to children affected by AIDS as a core element of India's

efforts to mitigate the impact of HIV.

We thank the media for raising the issue of care and support for children

affected by AIDS (CABA) in India. But wish to clarify, the Voices from the

Community event was not a protest but instead a collaboration meeting.

We welcome the Early Infant Diagnosis and paediatric treatment initiatives

spearheaded by NACO but also highlight the ongoing and significant need for

expanded impact mitigation efforts for CABA in India.

The purpose of the event was to underscore the importance of this work with

CABA. It was attended by representatives from the India HIV/AIDS Alliance and

other NGOs along with NACO and UNICEF.

There was broad agreement about the need to continue this work, and discussions

focused on how best to collaborate to ensure its sustainability.

Thanks and Regards

Tanu Chhabra Behl

Programme Officer: Knowledge Management

India HIV/AIDS Alliance

e-mail: <tchhabra82@...>

[Guest guest]

NCPCR to recommend programmes for HIV/AIDS affected children

New Delhi, Nov 15 (IANS) The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights

(NCPCR) is preparing a comprehensive document recommending programmes to provide

assistance to HIV/AIDS affected children.

The document includes suggestions like juvenile centres and providing legal and

social support for children suffering from HIV/AIDS, NCPCR officials said.

" We are formulating a comprehensive policy document. The recommendations will

include all issues related to children suffering from HIV/AIDS, " an NCPCR member

told IANS.

" The documents deals with all issues relating to health, education, social

stigma, legal assistance, and property and inheritance related issues, " she

said.

" Among the recommendations is a suggestion for juvenile centres for orphans.

Support that needs to be extended to families who have lost their breadwinners

is also included. "

Set up in March 2007, the commission's mandate is to ensure that all laws,

policies, programmes and administrative mechanisms are in consonance with the

child rights perspective as enshrined in the constitution as well as the UN

Convention on the Rights of the Child.

According to NCPCR, a child is defined as a person in the 0 to 18 years age

group.

According to sources, the recommendations are likely to be handed over to

government in time for World AIDS Day on Dec 1.

More than 21,000 children contract HIV every year through parent-to-child

transmission in India, where 3.8 percent or 70,000 children below the age of 15

live with the infection.

Chaha, a critical programme supporting nearly 60,000 HIV/AIDS effected children

run by international NGO HIV/AIDS Alliance, is due to end in March next year.

" Resource is one of the major problems for India as we mostly rely on

international aid. Moreover, the performance of government institutions varies

from state to state, " Sonal I. Mehta, who heads the Chaha programme in India,

told IANS.

" Macro solutions can not solve micro problems. If there are care and support

programmes, children can be helped, but the need for the government is to take

resource allocation in its own hands, " she said.

http://www.southasiamail.com/news.php?id=88814