AIDS takes a ruthless toll on the young

AIDS takes a ruthless toll on the young. Nearly 5,000,000(five million) children under 15 years old have died of the disease since the epidemic began and approximately 1.3 million children 15 and under are living with HIV. Millions more have been orphaned when their mothers or both parents died of AIDS.

In addition to grief and loss, children affected by AIDS face untold hardship when their extended families are strained to extremes in trying to care for them. Many are left to fend for themselves and for their siblings.

Resources and support are vital if these and other children are to be protected. And to prevent yet another generation from suffering, governments and communities must rally to the cause of AIDS awareness and prevention.

A culture of silence in which fear and discrimination thrive surrounds AIDS in many societies.

Programmes are needed that foster openness about the disease, awareness about its causes and respect for those affected by it.

Young people under 25 years are those more likely to become infected with HIV.
They deserve and need AIDS education and information at schools, as well as training in life skills that will help them make sound and informed decisions about their health and well-being.
Young people often learn best from their peers and need ample opportunities to interact with each other about key issues – at school, at youth-friendly health clinics and in community settings.
The most successful initiatives invite young people to take part in programme planning and management.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child recognizes children’s right to be informed about their health and development. Yet this right remains unrealized for the millions of children who need it most, largely because commitment and adequate resources are lacking. In the case of AIDS, denying young people access to information and services is a tragedy in the making.
UNICEF supports myriad efforts to increase HIV/AIDS awareness for the young and old people in many countries, including through school programmes, youth-run newspapers and radio programmes, peer counselling projects, media campaigns and popular theatre. Encouraging results show that these efforts, many of them still fledgling or small-scale, are helping to develop positive attitudes and behaviours regarding AIDS.

This is especially true when the programmes are backed up with AIDS -awareness activities for families and communities. Young people need our focused attention. But if the epidemic has taught us one lesson, it is that AIDS is everyone’s problem. The fight against the disease must involve all members of the society-women and girls alongside men and boys -and must galvanize the conscience and resources of the entire global community.

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