The impact of HIV/AIDS on children and young people

Reviewing research conducted and distilling implications for the education sector in Asia

By: Wijngaarden J & Shaeffer S
Published by: UNESCO Bangkok: Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education , 2005
Via: Eldis

This paper examines the impact of the HIV and AIDS epidemic on children (0-18 years old) in Asia, and also looks at the implications of HIV and AIDS for the education sector. The main impact of HIV and AIDS on children are summarised into three main areas:

• loss of social and/or family support: children will also lose their economic, social and emotional safety net. Growing up, children may have to live in a foster family or in either state or religious institutions. This may lead them to be less well-supervised than would be the case in a nuclear family situation
• stigma and discrimination: addressing these misconceptions is needed to tackle one of the heaviest burdens on the well-being of persons with AIDS, but also as a prevention strategy
• decreased access to education, health care and social services: as a consequence of losing the family unit, as well as of stigma and discrimination, children and young people end up having less access to education, health care and social services. In many instances, they are shunned by community members and are actively discriminated against.