|
|
 |
More than Words? Action for Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Africa - Monitoring Progress towards The UN Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS
Milton Keynes. Republished courtesy of World Vision.
|
HIV/AIDS has left millions of children neglected and vulnerable. In sub-Saharan Africa alone, a staggering 12.3 million children have been orphaned as a result of HIV/AIDS - a figure roughly equivalent to the total number of children in the UK - and millions more have been left extremely vulnerable.* The impact of HIV/AIDS on children in developing countries is immense.
As well as threatening a child's right to life and a family environment, it also undermines a multitude of other rights, and can leave affected children vulnerable to abuse and exploitation.
Given the devastating impact on these children's lives, urgent international action is needed to ensure that their rights are protected and needs met. In 2001, specific commitments to orphans and vulnerable children were made as part of the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS - commitments which were to be met by 2005. Despite this, many governments and donors have fallen short of the promises made and progress has been frustratingly slow.
Intended to inform and challenge, More than words? is a qualitative investigation of how far the rights and needs of orphans and vulnerable children are being met in four of the worst-affected countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Based on surveys and focus group discussions with children, parents, caregivers and officials in Ethiopia, Mozambique, Uganda and Zambia, this report offers a timely insight into how far the commitments are being met and provides practical recommendations for action at both national and international level.
This study has found that in all four countries, children orphaned and made vulnerable by AIDS are most likely to be missing out in terms of education, health, nutrition and other basic needs. More Than Words? has concluded that orphans and vulnerable children are:
- least likely to be in school
- least likely to have access to healthcare
- least likely to receive normal meals
- least likely to have their basic needs met
- unlikely to be receiving psychosocial or other support
- unlikely to have their births registered
- frequently victims of property grabbing
Given these findings, it is clear that care and support for orphans and vulnerable children must be considered an integral part of national and international response to the HIV/AIDS crisis, not an optional addition. World Vision therefore calls on governments, international institutions and other key duty-bearers to take the action at national and international levels." Follow the link: http://www.synergyaids.com/documents/MoreThanWords_UnGass.pdf |
| Was this article helpful to you? |
 ?100%???? ?0%
|
|
Back
|
|
|
|
