Children's right to HIV and AIDS treatment

A child dies from AIDS related illnesses every minute. Approximately 2,000 children are infected with HIV every day.

Children are silent witnesses to AIDS3. Millions of children around the world are affected by the crisis unfolding around them. They watch their families, teachers and community members suffering and dying from this highly stigmatized disease. Ultimately, many children miss out on their own childhoods because of the extra
responsibilities they bear and the economic and social insecurity that results from the sickness or death of their parents or caregivers.

On 26 May 2006 only a few days before the UN Special Session on HIV and AIDS, a report on the right of children to receive treatment for HIV and AIDS has been presented globally and simultaneously in over 16 countries worldwide.

With only a few weeks to go until the UN Special Session on HIV and AIDS (see the World AIDS Campaign website for more information), a number of organisations in the GMC have set out their demands on the right of children to receive treatment for HIV and AIDS.

Recommendations
The Global Movement for Children is calling for coordinated action to be taken now to PROTECT the rights of children infected with HIV and to INVEST in their future.

Treatment for all by 2010. Member States must uphold their commitment to universal treatment by 2010 and recognize that children have specific treatment needs. This includes providing positive women with appropriate interventions to prevent mother to child transmission; ensuring access to cotrimoxazole preventive treatment for infants born to HIV infected mothers, and ensuring access for all children to anti-retroviral treatment.

Child specific treatment targets. National governments and international bodies must be held responsible for immediately increasing the numbers of children on anti-retroviral treatment. This includes recognising children’s right to treatment as a fundamental human right, explicitly including children in national and international treatment targets.

Child-focused research and development. There is a pressing need to develop simple and affordable diagnostic tests for young children to ensure early identification of infection; increase child-focused research and development and produce affordable fixed dose combination anti-retroviral drugs for young children.

Improve health care systems of poor countries. National governments must prioritize the health care sector in budgets, international donors must increase investment in the development of health care systems, and health professionals must be trained to meet children’s treatment needs.

To download the full report:
- in English, click here (1.13MB pdf file).
- in Spanish, click here (1.02MB pdf file).
- in French, click here (1.02MB pdf file).

To view the press release, click here (English only).

To read the full list of demands please click here.