Remembering Orphans on World AIDS Day
Every 15 seconds a child loses a parent to AIDS. New York (PRWEB) November 30, 2007 -- Tomorrow marks the 20th World AIDS Day, a date dedicated to raising awareness about the fight against AIDS around the world. It is a day for contemplation and action to address persistent challenges presented by the AIDS pandemic, many of which are experienced most severely by children living in poverty, particularly orphans. Despite declines in HIV prevalence, as recently reported by UNAIDS, the number of orphans will continue to grow, reflecting the lag between infection and death. Today, more than 2 million children are HIV positive and 15 million children -- over 80% in Sub-Saharan Africa alone -- have been orphaned by the pandemic. AIDS is the leading cause of death of reproductive age adults in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the disease is increasingly affecting women. In these dire circumstances, UNICEF estimates that over 20 million children will become orphaned by AIDS by the end of this decade. These children are particularly vulnerable to the ravages of HIV and AIDS, as they are likely to experience exploitation, abuse, school drop-out, discrimination, and stigmatization. One of the first organizations to address the issue of children orphaned by AIDS was Francois-Xavier Bagnoud (FXB). Founded in 1989, FXB was one of few NGOs willing to enter areas destabilized by conflict, such as Rwanda and Uganda. Albina du Boisvouray, founder of FXB, quickly recognized the urgency of the situation, "Without loving parents to protect and raise them, orphans are at risk for sexual trafficking, for drugs dealing, for recruitment into criminal gangs, into child soldiers and armies. And there's an example in north Uganda... the Lord's Resistance Army that has used AIDS orphans in terrorist missions against civilians." While World AIDS Day campaign organizers have chosen to emphasize "leaders" in the fight against AIDS this year, such attention on practitioners neglects the daily suffering endured by people living with HIV. The world cannot afford to forget that every 15 seconds a child loses a parent to AIDS. Failing to address this crisis will have lifelong consequences for children, including the perpetuation of poverty and AIDS. ###
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