Transcript Objectives

Children Orphaned & made
Vulnerable by HIV/AIDS
A meeting to discuss and explore
key policy issues in India
10th September 2004
Dr. Balwant Singh
Purpose of Meeting
• To outline the national policy review being undertaken
by Alliance India and MAMTA;
• To map the policy priorities and initiatives of key
stakeholders;
• To identify areas for further policy work and ways of
strengthening collaboration.
Children Orphaned and Vulnerable
by HIV/AIDS: Situation in India
• About 200 000 children <15 years living
with HIV/AIDS
• Every year approx 22,000 newborn
children acquire HIV
• 2 million children < 15 years have lost
their parents to AIDS
• One third of children born to women
living with HIV become infected - with
ARVs, the risk of transmission can be
halved
Sources: UNAIDS, UNICEF and USAID, Children on the Brink,
2002 & 2004; Human Rights Watch, Future Forsaken, 2004.
India HIV/AIDS Alliance
Goal, Purpose & Outcomes
Goal: reduced spread of HIV and
impacts of AIDS mitigated
Purpose: Increased community action
for-and access to – prevention, care and
impact mitigation efforts
Outcome 1:
Improved coverage of
effective community
focused AIDS efforts
Outcome 2:
Strengthened leadership
and capacity of civil
society to respond to
AIDS
Outcome 3:
Improved institutional,
organisational and policy
environment for community
AIDS responses
Our Network of Partners
MAMTA
4 Districts in Delhi
7 Implementing NGOs
Alliance India: Andhra
Pradesh LEPRA India
14 districts, 24 NGOs
Vasavya Mahila Mandali
9 Districts in Andhra
Pradesh
10 Implementing NGOs
Palmyrah Workers
Development Society
13 Districts in Tamil Nadu
20 Implementing NGOs
Programmes of Alliance India
Home and Community based care & support
• More than 27,000 children and families affected by HIV/AIDS
• More than 1800 families being supported by various income
generation activities
Focused prevention programme
• Covers approx. 22000 female sex workers, 10,000 MSM and
460,000 clients of sex workers
• Also focuses on IDU & PLHA
Child-centred programme
• To promote child rights and children’s participation
• To address their health, educational, psychosocial and other
needs
Working with Children: Key Values
• Children are best cared for in their
own homes and communities
• Children’s rights should be
respected and upheld, especially the
right to participation
• Children have emotional needs as
well as physical needs
• Respect, recognise and realise the
rights of children
Child-Centred Programme
Improve coverage of community efforts
• 117 children fostered by communities
• 76 children clubs for recreational activities
• Handful rice approach adopted by several
communities
Strengthen leadership and capacities
• Children’s working groups to build
leadership qualities
• Child-to-child approaches to make
programme more child friendly
Improve policy environment
• Review of national policies on children
and HIV/AIDS
Policy Context & Background
• The national policy on children stresses role of the state in
providing adequate services to children to ensure development
translating these into implementation is still a challenge
• National charter for children secures child rights
no mention of HIV/AIDS and mitigating the impact on a child’s
development
• No specific policy on children orphaned and made vulnerable by
HIV/AIDS
Strategies and Recommendations to
Consider
• Prolong the lives of parents by building the capacity of families
• Support community based responses to provide long term
assistance
• Protect vulnerable children through improved policy and
legislation
• Care and protection of children in the NACP III
• NACO to provide greater leadership to states on preventing and
addressing discrimination
Source: Children on the brink 2004 and
Future forsaken-human rights watch 2004
Child-Centred Policy Review
In collaboration with MAMTA
Purpose:
To identify the gaps in policies that deny children affected by
HIV/AIDS the right to adequate support
Process:
To review, analyze and assess the existence and nature of child
related policies relating to HIV/AIDS
Outcome:
To propose recommendations for policy dialogue and action at
the state and national levels
Thank You