CRINMAIL 806 - Special Edition on HIV and AIDS

15 August 2006 - CRINMAIL 806
Special Edition on HIV and AIDS

 

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- TORONTO: XVI International AIDS Conference Opens [news]

- PARTICIPATION: Young People's Voices at the Conference [news]

- FACTS AND FIGURES: HIV and AIDS Around the Globe [fact sheet]

- RESOURCING: Making HIV and AIDS Financing Work for Children [publication and call for action]

- GENDER: The Impact of Girls' Education on HIV and Sexual Behaviour [publication]

- HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: Failure to Address Human Rights Abuses Fuels the Pandemic [publication]

- AFRICA: Children Affected by AIDS [publication]

- RESOURCES: New Publications

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Your submissions are welcome if you are working in the area of child rights. To contribute, email us at [email protected]. Adobe Acrobat is required for viewing some of the documents, and if required can be downloaded from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html If you do not receive this email in html format, you will not be able to see some hyperlinks in the text. At the end of each item we have therefore provided a full URL linking to a web page where further information is available.

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TORONTO: XVI International AIDS Conference Opens [news]

[TORONTO, 15 August 2006] - The world’s largest conference on HIV and AIDS, which is organised by the International AIDS Society and the Local Toronto Host, opened on Sunday in Toronto. The conference, which will be held from 13 - 18 August, provides an international forum for exchanging ideas and knowledge to inform HIV and AIDS programmes. This year’s theme, Time to Deliver, will emphasise the urgency in making effective HIV prevention, treatment, care and support available to communities all over the world. An estimated 20,000 participants including scientists, healthcare providers, political, community and business leaders, journalists, government, non-governmental and intergovernmental representatives, and people living with HIV and AIDS are attending.

In an opening speech at the conference, Dr Peter Piot, Executive Director of UNAIDS, spoke of the need to move from crisis management to a sustained response in the fight against AIDS. He urged participants to think in terms of decades and generations, rather than short-term emergency measures. Whilst approximately 1.5 million people now have access to anti-retroviral drugs in the developing world, a further 5 million need them and there are 4 million new infections a year. He highlighted the importance of keeping what he called the “exceptionality of AIDS on the political agenda,” emphasising that it must not be treated like any other medical issue because such a strong political commitment is needed.

In a keynote speech, Bill and Melinda Gates made clear their stance on the AIDS policies of the US government when they backed AIDS campaigners and criticised the US government’s abstinence policies, calling for more rights for women and help for sex workers.

Mr Gates told the conference “Abstinence is often not an option for poor women and girls who have no choice but to marry at an early age. Being faithful will not protect a woman whose partner is not faithful.”

Mrs Gates spoke of the stigma that HIV and AIDS still carry, saying that this makes it easier for political leaders to "stand in the way of saving lives. She argued that in some countries with widespread AIDS epidemics, leaders have declared the distribution of condoms immoral, ineffective or both. Some have argued that condoms do not protect against HIV, but in fact help spread it. This is a serious obstacle to ending AIDS.”

By law, 33 per cent of George Bush’s $15 bn (£7.9bn) five year President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (Pepfar) must be spent on policies that promote abstinence outside of marriage, according to the Guardian.

[Sources: The International AIDS Society, The Guardian, UNICEF]

Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=9809&flag=news

Further information

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PARTICIPATION: Young People's Voices at the Conference [news]

This year’s conference offers sessions organised by and for young people that will explore issues of particular importance to them. A new youth website has been launched for the event and features interactive reports written by youth delegates. Some 1,000 young people from 80 countries have registered for the event.

According to the UNITE FOR CHILDREN   UNITE AGAINST AIDS campaign launched by UNICEF and its partners last October, young people aged 15 to 24 are bearing the brunt of the pandemic. Currently, over half of new HIV infections are among young people, according to Rick Olson, UNICEF’s team leader on adolescent HIV prevention.

“Young people are doing a lot to stop the spread of AIDS in their communities. It is important that they have a platform to raise these issues and to have a chance to discuss them with key policy- and decision-makers,” said Youth Pre-conference organiser Mila Gorokhovich of Toronto Youth Force, which was set up to promote meaningful youth participation at AIDS 2006.

Three young journalists from the young people’s news agency, Children’s Express Northern Ireland, have accompanied a Save the Children delegation to the conference. Read their daily blogs here.

12 youth delegates will accompany Plan to provide practical examples of Plan’s AIDS programme, sharing their experiences of what is working, what is not, and their views on what should be done better. Read updates here

International agreements to recognise the rights of children affected by HIV and AIDS include:

Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=9810&flag=news

Further information

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FACTS AND FIGURES: HIV and AIDS Around the Globe [fact sheet]

To date around 65 million people have been infected with HIV, and AIDS-related illnesses have killed more than 25 million people since AIDS was first recognised in 1981. AIDS is among the greatest development and security issues facing the world today.

  • In 2005 AIDS claimed the lives of 2.8 million people and over 4 million people were newly infected with the virus.
  • At around 17.3 million, women make up almost half of the total number of people living with the virus, 13.2 million of whom live in sub-Saharan Africa (76% of all women living with HIV).
  • Sub-Saharan Africa remains the most affected region in the world. Two thirds of all people living with HIV are in sub-Saharan Africa where 24.5 million people were living with HIV in 2005.
  • Growing epidemics are underway in Eastern Europe and Central Asia where 220,000 people were newly infected with HIV in 2005.
  • Declines in HIV prevalence have been noted in Kenya, Zimbabwe, urban parts of Haiti and Burkina Faso and four Indian states including Tamil Nadu.

Prevention

  • There are more new HIV infections every year than AIDS-related deaths and as more people become infected with HIV, more people will die of AIDS-related illnesses.
  • Worldwide, less than one in five people at risk of becoming infected with HIV has access to basic prevention services.
  • Each day, 1500 children worldwide become infected with HIV, the vast majority of them newborns. In 2005, 9% of pregnant women in low and middle income countries were offered services to prevent transmission to their newborns. To get ahead of the epidemic, HIV prevention efforts must be scaled up and intensified, as part of a comprehensive response that simultaneously expands access to treatment and care.
  • Scaling up available prevention strategies in 125 low and middle income countries would avert an estimated 28 million new infections between 2005 and 2015, more than half of those that are projected to occur during this period and would save US$ 24 billion in associated treatment costs.
  • Simultaneous scaling up of both prevention and treatment would avert 29 million new infections by the end of 2020.

Treatment

  • According to the latest UNAIDS/WHO ‘3 by 5’ progress report, around 1.3 million people living with HIV are receiving ARV therapy in low and middle income countries – this means that 20% of those in need of treatment are now receiving it.
  • The number of people receiving antiretroviral treatment in low and middle income countries has tripled since the end of 2001.

Resource Needs

  • In 2005, a total of US$ 8.3 billion was estimated to be available for AIDS funding; this figure is estimated to rise to US$ 8.9 billion in 2006 and US$ 10 billion in 2007. But it falls short of what is needed - US$ 14.9 billion in 2006, US$ 18.1 billion in 2007 and US$ 22.1 billion in 2008.
  • For treatment and care, about 55% of these resources will be needed in Africa, 20% in Asia and the Pacific, 17% in Latin America and the Caribbean, 7% in Eastern Europe and 1% in North Africa and the Near East.

Further information

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RESOURCING: Making HIV and AIDS Financing Work for Children [publication and call for action]

Save the Children has released a report to coincide with this year’s international AIDS conference revealing that only a quarter of the money needed to help children affected by HIV and AIDS has been committed. Making HIV and AIDS Financing Work for Children argues that it is unclear how much of this money is actually reaching children, and where the other 75 per cent will come from.

Felicity Daly, Save the Children’s HIV and AIDS Advocate, said “Children with HIV/AIDS are not getting the proper medical treatment. For those who are lucky enough not to be infected, hundreds of thousands are missing out on school whilst they care for their sick parents. So many children are directly and indirectly affected yet so little money gets to them”.

Save the Children’s analysis of child-specific HIV and AIDS spending targets shows:

  • The UN has estimated that a total of $1.6 billion is needed to provide support to children affected by HIV and AIDS in 2006. The money that the UK, US and Ireland have committed amounts to 25 per cent of that, but it is unclear how much of this money has actually been disbursed and where the other 75 per cent will come from.
  • Only three donor governments - the UK, US and Ireland - have committed money specifically to help children affected by HIV and AIDS, despite the fact that children are suffering disproportionately from the pandemic.

The UK and Ireland have made commitments to give money specifically for children but without the tracking systems in place to monitor the disbursement of this money, it is unclear exactly how much of it is reaching children affected by HIV/AIDS. In the case of the US, available data shows that they have only disbursed 20 per cent of the money they have promised for children.

Save the Children recommends that:

  • Children's needs must be given greater priority within all HIV and AIDS funding programmes. Current financing levels are insufficient and there is an urgent need to mobilise more resources while addressing the bottlenecks that prevent funds from reaching children.
  • A comprehensive response to children affected by HIV and AIDS must go beyond providing care and support to orphans and vulnerable children. Much more must also be done, and money must be committed, to protect children from transmission of HIV infection and to save the lives of HIV positive children by providing affordable and appropriate treatment.

Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infodetail.asp?id=9801

For more information, contact:
Save the Children UK
1 St John's Lane, London EC1M 4AR, United Kingdom
Tel: + 44 20 7012 6400; Fax: + 44 20 7012 6963
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.savethechildren.org.uk


Further information

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GENDER: The Impact of Girls' Education on HIV and Sexual Behaviour [publication]

[15 August 2006] - A new report by ActionAid shows for the first time the evolving link between girls’ education and their vulnerability to HIV and AIDS. Girl Power: The Impact of Girls' Education on HIV and Sexual Behaviour, which was launched at the International Aids Conference in Toronto, demonstrates how educating girls and women is one huge step towards turning around the AIDS epidemic in Africa.

Early in the epidemic - before 1995 - more highly educated women were more vulnerable to HIV than women who were less well educated. They were more highly educated and had better economic prospects, which influenced their lifestyle choices. They were usually more mobile and tended to have a number of sexual partners. But at that stage, there was also a general information vacuum about HIV and AIDS in Africa.

As the epidemic has evolved, however, the relationship between girls’ education and HIV has changed. Now, across all the countries reviewed, girls who complete secondary education have a lower risk of HIV infection and practise safer sex than girls who only finish primary education.

The report shows that more highly educated girls and women are better able to negotiate safer sex and reduce HIV rates. The more education the better. Despite the power of girls’ education and numerous international commitments to education, the reality is that the vast majority of girls in Africa will not complete primary education, let alone manage to get to secondary school. A key obstacle is the rising cost of education. Most children in Africa have to pay to go to primary school, which leads to the exclusion of many children, especially girls.

To see the real benefits of educating girls, fees need to be removed and governments and donors need to be urged to invest more. The gap between the epidemic and the response is – in some countries – narrowing. This report shows that it is possible to stay ahead of the virus – but only when individuals (particularly women and girls) have the power to choose who they have sex with, and when and how they do so.

Put simply, education is key to building “girl power”!

Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=9775

For more information, contact:
Action Aid
Hamlyn House, MacDonald Road, N19 5PG, United Kingdom
Tel: + 44 207 561 7561; Fax: + 44 207 272 0899
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.actionaid.org

Further information

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HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: Failure to Address Human Rights Abuses Fuels the Pandemic [publication]

[TORONTO, 14 August 2006] – Government delegates to the International AIDS Conference must show how their countries are taking action on the promises they made in June at the United Nations High Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS, Human Rights Watch said in a report, Compromised Intentions: The 2006 UN High Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS and Its Failure to Address the Human Rights Abuses Fueling the Pandemic, released on Monday.

UN member states signed a declaration at the June 2 meeting recognising that the protection and realisation of human rights is essential in the global fight against AIDS. Governments promised to pursue all necessary efforts to move towards universal access to comprehensive prevention and treatment programmes by 2010. They also pledged to set ambitious national targets for tracking the progress of their efforts in 2008 and 2010.  

In its new report, Human Rights Watch examined how the declaration from the High-Level Meeting addressed such critical issues as women’s and children’s rights, abuses faced by socially marginalised populations, and access to treatment. The report found that while the declaration mentions human rights, it fell short of committing governments to aggressively responding to rights abuses and to implementing measures to guarantee the rights of socially marginalised and vulnerable populations.  

“The UN meeting gave governments a global stage to make commitments in the fight against AIDS,” said Joe Amon, director of the HIV/AIDS programme at Human Rights Watch. “Now in Toronto the world is watching again. Governments should take this opportunity to show that they’re taking steps to end the human rights violations that prevent prevention and treatment from reaching everyone.”  

The 2006 High-Level Meeting was held to review progress made in the fight against AIDS since the historic 2001 UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS. At the June meeting, the United Nations noted the continued failures of countries to meet previous goals, including providing antiretroviral treatment to those who need it, reducing HIV transmission to infants, and increasing knowledge about HIV transmission.  

In its report, Human Rights Watch also called on UN member states to fulfill the commitments made in June for the full participation of non-governmental organisations in the global response to AIDS.  

“The International AIDS Conference is a perfect opportunity for governments to work with non-governmental groups towards implementing the pledges made at the UN meeting,” Amon said. “To succeed in the fight against AIDS, we need more than official declarations at High-Level meetings. Governments need to respect rights, set clear targets, and they need to take action now.”  

Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=9773

For more information, contact:
Human Rights Watch
350 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor, New York, NY 10118-3299, United States
Tel: + 1 212 216 1837; Fax: + 1 212 736 1300
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.hrw.org

Further information

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AFRICA: Children Affected by AIDS [publication]

[TORONTO/NEW YORK, 14 August 2006] – The AIDS epidemic continues to affect children disproportionately and in many harmful ways, making them more vulnerable than other children, leaving many of them orphaned and threatening their survival, says a new report by UNICEF, UNAIDS, and the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

According to Africa’s Orphaned and Vulnerable Generations: Children Affected by AIDS, 12 million of the 48 million orphans in sub-Saharan Africa have lost one or both parents to AIDS. In Zambia, for example, 20 per cent of all children were orphans in 2005, one half of them due to AIDS, leaving a population of approximately 11 million to support over 1.2 million orphans.

In the most affected countries it is proving increasingly difficult for surviving parents or their extended families to protect and care for the expanding number of orphans and vulnerable children.

"President Bush's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief has brought increased attention to families and to children living with and affected by HIV/AIDS," said Kent Hill, Assistant Administrator of the Bureau for Global Health at USAID.  "To date, the Emergency Plan has supported care for three million people, including 1.2 million orphans and vulnerable children.  With the number of AIDS orphans still growing, we must accelerate this progress.  By strengthening critical programs at the local level, the international community can ensure that orphaned and vulnerable children receive the care, support and protection they need."

The situation of children affected by AIDS varies significantly across families, communities and countries. The report shows that, compared to other children, they are at higher risk of missing out on school, living in homes with insufficient food, and suffering from anxiety. They are also at higher risk of HIV infection, especially adolescent girls and young women in the 15-24 age-group.

“Responding to the needs of children affected by AIDS is complex. The data presented in this report will lead to better responses, reflecting local realities and meeting local needs,” said Michel Sidibe, Director of the UNAIDS Country and Regional Support Department.

The impact of AIDS on vulnerable children will last for generations in sub-Saharan Africa.  International agencies, non-government organisations and all other actors need to do more to support the responses of the worst-affected countries.

Some challenges can be addressed locally with support to caregivers, extended families and communities and with measures to counter the stigma and discrimination that surrounds AIDS. But others, such as ensuring that children affected by AIDS can go to school, have access to health care, receive protection against abuse and that their families receive financial support for looking after them require commitment, resources and service provision from both national governments and civil society and the international community.

"We must do more to help.  Millions of children affected by AIDS are out of school, growing up alone, vulnerable to poverty, marginalisation and discrimination. Children who have lost parents and care-givers are left without their first line of defence. One of the most effective ways to keep these children safe is to invest in education, especially for girls,” said UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Rima Salah present at the conference. “In keeping with the theme of the Toronto International AIDS conference - ‘Time to Deliver’ - we have a moral obligation to act with no delay.”

The report was launched as part of the UNITE FOR CHILDREN, UNITE AGAINST AIDS campaign which aims to put the missing face of children at the centre of the HIV/AIDS agenda and serve as a platform for united efforts to stop the spread of the AIDS epidemic and its impact on children.

Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=9770

For more information, contact:
H-9, 3 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017, United States
Tel: + 1 212 824 6127; Fax: + 1 212 326 7731
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.unicef.org

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RESOURCES: New Publications

Tearfund: Faith Untapped: Why churches can play a crucial role in tackling HIV and AIDs in Africa (August 2006)
http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=9634&flag=report

Plan International: Circle of Hope: children's rights in a world with AIDS (August 2006)
http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=9556&flag=report

Human Rights Watch: No Bright Future Government Failures, Human Rights Abuses and Squandered Progress in the Fight against AIDS in Zimbabwe (July 2006)
http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=9543&flag=report

Bernard van Leer Foundation: Young children and HIV/AIDS (July 2006)
http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=9221&flag=report

Special edition of CRINMAIL on the HIV and AIDS High Level Meeting in New York in May 2006
http://www.crin.org/email/crinmail_detail.asp?crinmailID=1213

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