Sasha, 7, and Dima, 13 from the Russian Federation. Sasha's parents were both drug addicts and HIV positive. His father abandoned him, and his mother recently died of AIDS-related illness. They face one of the fastest growing HIV epidemics in the world.
UNICEF/ HQ04-0680/Giacomo Pirozzi
Almost every minute of every day, another two young people are infected with HIV. Every two minutes, a child dies of AIDS. This is wrong.
HIV and AIDS are having a devastating impact upon the world’s children, depriving them of parental care and protection. In 2008, there were an estimated 17.5 million children worldwide who had lost one or both parents to AIDS. These children are often forced to replace parents as head of the household, and take care of their younger brothers and sisters. They are often denied their right to an education, as they need to work to make enough money for their family.
Many children with HIV do not receive the life-saving medicine they need, and children affected by HIV and AIDS are often denied their right to a childhood.
But HIV is both preventable and treatable. Since October 2005, UNICEF’s global Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS campaign (link http://www.tagd.org.uk/campaigns/uniteaids.aspx ) has called on communities, governments and businesses everywhere to put it right for children by focusing on four key areas:
•Prevention of new infections
•Prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT)
•Providing treatment for children
•Protection, care and support