Your daily Selection of IRIN Africa PlusNews reports, 6/27/2006

June 27, 2006

U N I T E D N A T I O N S

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

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[These reports do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

CONTENT:

1 - INDIA: HIV-infected children present their case

NEW DELHI, 26 June (PLUSNEWS) - In a conference hall inside a heritage resort in

Manesar on the outskirts of Delhi, the pleading voice of a young boy cuts

through the silence. The scene is from a skit, scripted and staged by children

infected and affected by HIV in India - a country of 5.7 million people living

with HIV and AIDS.

Set against the backdrop of a school somewhere in India, the drama draws upon

the real-life experiences of many of the child actors who deal with stigma and

discrimination in their daily life.

According to the latest estimates by UNAIDS, 5.7 million Indians were estimated

to be living with HIV in 2005 - the largest number in the world. The Indian

government does not agree with the figure and pegs the number of HIV-infected in

the country around 5.2 million.

The difference is due to the fact that while India's official data include

HIV-infected people in the 15-49 age group, UNAIDS, for the first time, has also

included those below 15 years and those above 49 years.

While the storm continues to rage over the statistics, one welcome fall-out is

the rise in interest about children living with HIV/AIDS in the country and

their specific needs.

In the play at Manesar, the school principal is unmoved by the pleas of the

young boy diagnosed with HIV and expels him. The boy is miserable but does not

take the 'no' as his destiny.

Instead, he approaches a sympathetic community counsellor, who recounts his

story. The counsellor convinces the principal that the child poses no threat to

other children by listing the ways of contracting the AIDS virus.

The principal apologises for his lack of awareness about the disease and

convenes a meeting of his staff and students. The counsellor gets the

opportunity to dispel the many doubts and myths surrounding HIV. The interaction

sparks a change in everyone's attitude towards the infected boy and he is

welcomed back into the classroom and the playground.

The skit, one among several, was part of the first ever 'national consultation'

in which children affected by HIV/AIDS spelt out their expectations from the

government and from society.

Organised by Positive Women Network (PWN+) and the UN Children's Fund (Unicef),

it brought together 53 children, all below 15, from 10 states across the

country.

For 11-year-old Vivi, an AIDS orphan from a small town in Nagaland in

northeastern India, this was a " super way " of making friends, learning new games

and sharing common concerns, stories of heartbreak and hope.

The event took place at an opportune time, as the Indian government is busy

gearing up for the third phase of the National AIDS Control Programme.

On the final day of the three-day consultation, the children divided themselves

into groups and enacted short plays to draw attention to their concerns. But the

consultation went beyond play-acting.

" We are not an add-on to adults. Our problems deserve as much attention as those

of the adults, " the children said in their first ever national statement

presented to representatives from aid agencies, NGOs and government departments.

To date, paediatric AIDS has not got the attention it deserves in the country,

critics say. Critical gaps in policy and programmes include lack of early

diagnosis, lack of a referral system, and lack of a care package specifically

for children with HIV.

For the children assembled at Manesar, the occasion provided a great opportunity

to interact with a senior government official working for the National AIDS

Control Programme and to hear first-hand what the government was doing for

children infected with and affected by HIV and AIDS.

Responding to the children's concerns, the official said that the government was

working with the pharmaceuticals industry on paediatric formulations and that it

was also committed to making AIDS medication available at district level.

Five days at a heritage resort far away from their villages and towns with ample

opportunity to play was a welcome relief from their daily routine, but the child

activists have set themselves more ambitious goals. On the cards are networks of

Children Affected by HIV/AIDS (CAHA) in conjunction with PWN+ in the country.

[ENDS]

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June 27, 2006