Vietnam: About 13,000 children are affected by HIV

This is the result of field research on the situation of orphans and vulnerable children in 5 provinces of An Giang, Hanoi, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh and Ho Chi Minh City.

The study, conducted by the Population, Family and Children Committee in partnership with Save the Children Alliance, has been published for the past two years on November 22. Accordingly, the number of children infected with HIV / AIDS or affected by this disease is very pitiful. However, until now, they have not received adequate attention.

Most of them live in poverty and are very poor (75%). Very few children can live with both parents. The vast majority live with their mothers (36%) or with elderly grandparents (27%). Because of poverty, 29% of the children said they had to work to help their families. Even in the children's desire, 'having a job' also accounts for the highest proportion (34%).

The social psychological findings show that the group of children affected by HIV / AIDS has a rather complicated expression, notably hiding the situation because of fear of stigma and employment. The absence of disease is considered to be a disease that pushes the child to confusion. Many children report being bullied and alienated in the community where they live.

'I don't want to go out and play because I'm afraid I'll be beaten. They beat me, they didn't want to play with me and they even teased me. ' - A 6-year-old girl living with HIV in An Giang, confessed.

As observed by researchers, children living with HIV or affected by this disease often feel sad, depressed and self-contained.'I'm always scared because this disease has no cure, meaning I will die soon .' - A child living with HIV in Quang Ninh said.

'Recently I have a fever, skin infection and body aches. Those things scared me. ' - A boy living with HIV in Hanoi said.

Many children also recounted the inappropriate treatment of state health workers when they went to the doctor. A 10-year-old boy living with HIV in Quang Ninh said: 'When he was sick, his mother took him to the provincial hospital but he was not weighed because the doctor said they had to give priority to other cases'.

In addition, more than half of the children surveyed said they did not go to school because they did not have money to pay tuition.

National policies are needed

According to Mr. Nguyen Trong An - Deputy Director of Children Department (Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs), the State needs to have policies to detect vulnerable children due to AIDS for early protection and support. Current policies only mention children living with AIDS, not to mention children affected by HIV / AIDS.

This is a policy deficiency that needs to be addressed and quickly added. It is worth noting that policies for children affected by HIV need to link or integrate with orphan protection policies.

The representative of the survey team also recommended that there should be " safe communities " for disadvantaged families including families with grandparents or fathers, single mothers who are family heads. An important part of ' safe communities ' is creating jobs for child care providers. From that fact, it is necessary to have small loan programs and skills to use loans, vocational training support and job creation for older children.

Attention should be paid to training and investment in private health facilities. Education, advocacy and avoidance of discrimination are very difficult, although there are laws, it is necessary to expand the propaganda to the primary level, creating a more positive and positive view on HIV / AIDS prevention and control.

In the long term, there should be a specific policy regime to protect and support vulnerable families and children.

According to the Ministry of Health estimates, there are currently about 2,800 HIV-infected newborns, 915 children under the age of 13 and 14,500 people aged 14-19 infected with HIV. It is estimated that more than 263,000 children under the age of 19 are currently living in a situation where they are not adequately supported by their families, parents, siblings and grandparents.

According to the Ministry of Health, there are currently about 130,000 orphans due to AIDS, of which 25% are orphaned. Particularly in Ho Chi Minh City, there are about 1,750 children living with HIV. If there is no change in the current program, the number of children living with HIV in this locality will exceed 2,800 and 2010 and surpass 7000 in 2015.

My Hang