UN calls on parliamentarians to do more to protect children from AIDS

With children under 15 accounting for one in every six global AIDS-related death and an estimated 15 million children worldwide made orphans by HIV/AIDS, parliamentarians should unite to protect children from the global scourge and ensure legislation guaranteeing their healthcare, protection and support are in place, the United Nations and the Interparliamentary Union (IPU) said today.

“Children should be at the centre of the global AIDS agenda where they belong,” UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Ann M. Veneman said from New York, as the 114th IPU Assembly was underway in Nairobi. “A child under 15 dies every minute of every day because of AIDS. Children are the missing face of the AIDS pandemic.”

Ms. Veneman said that parliamentarians can help ensure that children are on the agenda of global policymakers, national governments, pharmaceutical companies, academic institutions and public groups responding to the pandemic.

The Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) said that parliamentarians are uniquely placed to make a profound difference for children affected by HIV/AIDS, and the IPU President said he was committed to ensuring that parliamentarians take decisive steps to support those affected by the disease.

“We have the influence, and we command the national resources, that will roll back this pandemic. Parliamentarians can not only tackle the fear and prejudice that fuel the epidemic, but we can ensure that public officials fulfil their responsibilities towards HIV-positive children by providing treatment without discrimination,” said IPU President Pier Ferdinando Casini.

In addition to the children infected with HIV, millions more have lost parents, aunts, uncles, teachers and community leaders to the disease. It is estimated that globally, 15 million children have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS, more than 12 million in sub-Saharan Africa alone. Many of these children are forced to leave school in order to take care of ailing parents or earn money to support their families.

The IPU gathering included a panel discussion on children and AIDS featuring Stephen Lewis, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for AIDS in Africa, who said that the lack of treatment for HIV-positive children “amounts to a death sentence.”

“Without treatment, half of these children will die before their second birthday – 80 per cent before they reach the age of five. These children are missing out on treatment because they are still missing from national policies. They are forgotten by the public, who see AIDS as an adult disease, and forgotten by leaders who focus on adults when it comes to laws, policies and budgets.”

The panel focused on three concrete ways that parliamentarians can support children affected by HIV/AIDS:

Break the silence and end the stigma and discrimination of those affected by HIV and AIDS;

Ensure that there are comprehensive policies and/or legislation for HIV and AIDS that include children, and that there is adequate funding;

Protect, support and strengthen families and communities most affected by HIV and AIDS. An essential part of this task involves abolishing school fees, which prevent many children from getting a basic education.

The IPU was established in 1889 and brings together Members of Parliament from over 140 states. It contributes to the defence and promotion of human rights and has a long-standing commitment to the protection of children.