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HIV / AIDS AND THE CHILDREN
Uganda has been greatly impacted by the devastation of HIV/AIDS. Recent statistics from the World Health Organization show that AIDS has left a long lasting effect on Uganda’s population, most notably children and families. As a result, AIDS has caused over 2 million children of Uganda to have been orphaned since the epidemic began – losing one or both parents to AIDS.
The most visible consequences of HIV/AIDS is the presence of the orphans. An
orphan is defined as a person less than 18 years of age who has lost one or both
biological parents. It is estimated that in Uganda there are currently two million
orphans in total, which accounts for 14% of children; tthe AIDS Commission attributes
an estimated 1.7 million of these to HIV/AIDS.
Stigma and discrimination have been associated with HIV/AIDS since it first
emerged. Often referred to as the third epidemic (the first two being HIV and
AIDS), stigma and discrimination are the social consequences of the fear generated
about the disease in individuals and societies. Stigma is the mark of disgrace or
discredit, while discrimination is the negative action following from this belief.
Stigmatisation causes psychological harm in children and is a form of violence. When
children are stigmatised they are set aside and prevented from having normal interpersonal
relationships with others. Often they are made to feel that there is something wrong with
them and that they are worth nothing. Joy for Children helps restore hope in all the children who are
going through this kind of situation.
While children are usually stigmatised by those with economic and mental power over
them (including guardians, teachers and relatives), other times they are stigmatised by fellow
children who have been influenced by those with power. Stigmatisation is violence because it
is the intentional use of power that results in psychological harm.
Central to twin concepts of stigma and discrimination is the notion of unfair and
unequal treatment that leads to neglect, which is also defined as violence in the
context of the UN Study. Acts of discrimination contravene articles of international
legal instruments, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
(CRC). The four founding principles of the CRC are non-discrimination (article 2), the
best interests of children (article 3), the right to life, survival and development
(article 6) and children's right to participate in decisions that affect him/her
(article 12).
Uganda is a country continuing to grapple with the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS
more than two decades after the first incidence was recorded. It has been estimated
that over the past 20 years, one million people in Uganda have died from AIDS while
there are currently one million living with the disease.
The consequences of the spread of HIV/AIDS in Uganda have been extensive, affecting the social, economic and political spectrums of society. Health services have been stretched and the available workforce reduced along with agricultural productivity.
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Joy for Children Uganda
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P.O Box 15383
Kampala (Uganda)
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Telephone:
+256 414 380 417
+256 414 530 450
+256 712 982 301
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Email:
info@joyforchildren.org
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