Mobilising MEPs to act on the issue of children and HIV
28 April 2005
The Alliance participated in a European Parliament meeting on 1 March 2005 on ‘Orphans and Vulnerable Children Living in a World with HIV/AIDS’, the aim of which was to mobilise MEPs to act on the issue of children and HIV. The meeting was a session of the Informal Action Group on Orphans and Vulnerable Children Living in a World with HIV and AIDS, which the Alliance participates in as a Stop AIDS Alliance partner.
The meeting recommended the formal endorsement of the UNICEF/UNAIDS Framework for the prevention, protection and care of orphans and vulnerable children living in a world with HIV/AIDS, with commitments to implementing it as the basis of an integrated EU approach to orphans and vulnerable children. It urged that all European external policies and programmes (particularly in high prevalence countries) ensure that the fight against HIV/AIDS is seen as a high priority, multi-level and multi-sectoral issue – and that its impact on orphans and vulnerable children be addressed. It also recommended that the European Union ensure that the promotion and protection of children’s rights and the rights of their caregivers are visible in its external policies and programmes, including HIV/AIDS. A Communication on Child Rights would be the first step to ensuring a comprehensive strategy for children.
The Alliance’s Kate Harrison, Senior Programme Officer: Children, outlined the impact of HIV/AIDS on the lives of children, including loss and grief and economic issues, asking ‘Who is taking care?’ The burden of care is mostly on female or child-headed, elderly, poor households. The response at the moment is inadequate, she said, but interventions are working and now we need to bring these interventions to scale, respecting differences in country context.
