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In Mumbai, India, a woman widowed by AIDS lives with her ten-year-old son on the doorstep of the house she should have inherited, barred entry by her in-laws.
In a village in Nepal, a former migrant worker mourns his wife as he cares for his four children, two of whom are HIV positive.
In Cambodia, an orphaned nine-year-old boy and his little brother travel across the country in search of relatives who will offer them a home.
Across Asia and the Pacific there are countless stories like this with one common theme; they involve children. Orphaned, stigmatized, driven to work and exploitation, sometimes contracting the virus themselves from their mothers at birth, children feel the effects of HIV and AIDS more than any other sector of society.
The theme of next week’s 8th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) in Colombo is "Waves of Change, Waves of Hope." Alongside UN agencies, NGOs and government representatives discussing a diverse range of HIV-related issues, international NGO World Vision will be highlighting the plight of children.
“Without adults to care for them, children orphaned by HIV and AIDS are vulnerable to many forms of hardship and discrimination, from missing out on school or being underpaid in child labour, through to sexual abuse or trafficking,” said World Vision regional advocacy director Laurence Gray.
“Governments, local authorities and community members need to open their eyes to the vulnerabilities of the children in their care and take urgent steps to protect them from the effects of HIV and AIDS.”
World Vision will produce and circulate a summary of each day’s proceedings at the ICAAP meeting, commencing Monday 20 August, with a special emphasis on the issues and solutions that concern children.
The summaries will be available on this page, as well as being emailed daily to partners and media expressing interest. To add your name to the mailing list, please contact Katie Chalk
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