Many people do not consider AIDS children when thinking about the disease. Since AIDS is usually contracted during sex and the sharing of drug needles, most consider it an adult disease. However, this is not the case. There are thousands of HIV children and AIDS children across the world. If you add to the number of HIV children infected each year and the number of orphans left behind by their infected parents, the numbers are staggering. Most HIV children live in orphanages because their parents have already passed away.
How Children Get HIV/AIDS
Most AIDS children are infected by their mothers. This usually happens during pregnancy, birth, or even after birth while breast feeding. These HIV children are born into a life with very little chance of survival. Many HIV children will have only their mother to care for them. Because of the stigma in many countries, women are considered to be at fault if their husband gets the disease. These women are then left behind to care for their HIV children or dying AIDS children.
Child birth is not the only cause of the rise in AIDS children. Many young girls are infected through sexual abuse. These HIV and AIDS children do not have a choice or way out of the situation. There are very few authorities to protect the HIV children from being given the virus. In some developing countries it is not uncommon for AIDS children as young as 12 to be wives or sexual slaves. There is a huge industry in many countries for women and girls to be forced into prostitution. Many of the young women and girls are already infected AIDS children. They then pass the virus on to the men who hire their services.
These practices can create a never ending circle of infection. AIDS children are born from their infected mothers; they are then pulled into forced prostitution, where these AIDS children infect the men. The men then go home and sexually abuse their own children and infect them. These HIV children grow up to give birth to the next generation of HIV children. This cycle will continue until someone or some country steps up to say this practice is wrong and out of control.
This cycle can only be broken with changes to the structure of these countries. Most areas do not have health facilities or law enforcement to help combat the epidemic. These HIV children must be given the tools and freedom to stop the next circle. Countries must provide education, protection, and medical treatment if these small babies are to be the first of a healthy new generation.