HIV+ and orphaned: Children no one wants
By, S. Shanthi, The Times of India, August 27, 2007
New Delhi: It's a ray of hope in an area of gloom. Recently, a 15-day-old baby, Chhoti, was found abandoned. Though rumoured to be HIV positive, many couples on hearing about her through the media, volunteered to adopt her.
However, not many are as lucky as her. Most people don't come forward to adopt HIV positive children. Recently, an HIV positive woman in Chhattisgarh, driven by poverty, offered her newborn daughter for sale. But no one wanted the baby as she too was infected. Later, the local administration, which got to know about the issue, stopped her from selling the baby and made arrangements for her treatment.
Says Sonia Kohli, who runs Sahyog, an NGO, and in whose custody Chhoti was, "Since the news was out in the media, people initially came forward to adopt Chhoti. When the hype died, people backed off. Even some doctors advised me against keeping the child. I have now given the child to a family, but I am sure that if Chhoti was HIV positive, nobody would have legally adopted her."
Arun Dave, president, AIDS prevention club, Rajkot, corroborates, "Ever since we started working for the cause of AIDS, 18 years back, not even one family has volunteered to adopt an HIV positive child."
In many cases, even when the child turns out to be negative later, people are scared to adopt. HIV positive children turn negative only until they are one-and-a-half years old. After that, it's believed their status doesn't change. But medical miracles do happen. Anyhow, adoption agencies have a definite role to play here — in convincing the families and educating them about the issue. "If we have a child who is HIV positive-turned-negative, we tell the family about the child. After counselling and making them understand the medical aspects, if they are still willing, they accept the child. However, this happens only once in a blue moon," says Madhavi Hegde Karandikar, adoption practitioner, Bal Asha, Mumbai.
Such children are mostly adopted, either by rich parents and those settled abroad or foreigners. "Adopting an HIV positive child requires a lot of willpower. Moreover, social acceptance of such children is less in our country. Outside India, people are more educated about HIV," says Nilima Mehta, chairperson, Child Welfare Committee, Mumbai.
"There is a social stigma attached to it. Even today, there is not much awareness about HIV. Not many even know the difference between HIV positive and AIDS. They are ignorant about how HIV is passed and so don't want their families and friends to know that the child was born with the virus," says Dave.
Outside India, there are many organisations which have been successful in placing HIV positive children in permanent and foster homes. One such project is Children With AIDS Project of America, which seeks out adoptive parents for HIV infants and children. Its database has over 1,000 waiting families.
Experts say there are no legal restrictions for adoption of HIV positive children. "We can give such children in adoption, provided there are families willing to take them and all documents are in place," says Wendy Andrews, adoption officer, Hope Foundation, New Delhi. Despite various measures taken by the government, people suffering from the disease still face stigma and isolation. A UNAIDS report claimed in 2006 that India had the largest number of people living with HIV/AIDS, an estimated 5.7 million.
"Adopting a child involves knowledge within oneself that all children are equal, be they healthy or with special needs and therefore equally deserve security within a family. One should be better informed about the subject and make a choice knowing and understanding all these aspects," says Aloma Lobo, chairperson, IYC Community Centre, Bangalore.
shanthi.selvarajan@timesgroup.com
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/HIV_and_orphaned_Children_no_one_wants/articleshow/2313020.cms
New Delhi: It's a ray of hope in an area of gloom. Recently, a 15-day-old baby, Chhoti, was found abandoned. Though rumoured to be HIV positive, many couples on hearing about her through the media, volunteered to adopt her.
However, not many are as lucky as her. Most people don't come forward to adopt HIV positive children. Recently, an HIV positive woman in Chhattisgarh, driven by poverty, offered her newborn daughter for sale. But no one wanted the baby as she too was infected. Later, the local administration, which got to know about the issue, stopped her from selling the baby and made arrangements for her treatment.
Says Sonia Kohli, who runs Sahyog, an NGO, and in whose custody Chhoti was, "Since the news was out in the media, people initially came forward to adopt Chhoti. When the hype died, people backed off. Even some doctors advised me against keeping the child. I have now given the child to a family, but I am sure that if Chhoti was HIV positive, nobody would have legally adopted her."
Arun Dave, president, AIDS prevention club, Rajkot, corroborates, "Ever since we started working for the cause of AIDS, 18 years back, not even one family has volunteered to adopt an HIV positive child."
In many cases, even when the child turns out to be negative later, people are scared to adopt. HIV positive children turn negative only until they are one-and-a-half years old. After that, it's believed their status doesn't change. But medical miracles do happen. Anyhow, adoption agencies have a definite role to play here — in convincing the families and educating them about the issue. "If we have a child who is HIV positive-turned-negative, we tell the family about the child. After counselling and making them understand the medical aspects, if they are still willing, they accept the child. However, this happens only once in a blue moon," says Madhavi Hegde Karandikar, adoption practitioner, Bal Asha, Mumbai.
Such children are mostly adopted, either by rich parents and those settled abroad or foreigners. "Adopting an HIV positive child requires a lot of willpower. Moreover, social acceptance of such children is less in our country. Outside India, people are more educated about HIV," says Nilima Mehta, chairperson, Child Welfare Committee, Mumbai.
"There is a social stigma attached to it. Even today, there is not much awareness about HIV. Not many even know the difference between HIV positive and AIDS. They are ignorant about how HIV is passed and so don't want their families and friends to know that the child was born with the virus," says Dave.
Outside India, there are many organisations which have been successful in placing HIV positive children in permanent and foster homes. One such project is Children With AIDS Project of America, which seeks out adoptive parents for HIV infants and children. Its database has over 1,000 waiting families.
Experts say there are no legal restrictions for adoption of HIV positive children. "We can give such children in adoption, provided there are families willing to take them and all documents are in place," says Wendy Andrews, adoption officer, Hope Foundation, New Delhi. Despite various measures taken by the government, people suffering from the disease still face stigma and isolation. A UNAIDS report claimed in 2006 that India had the largest number of people living with HIV/AIDS, an estimated 5.7 million.
"Adopting a child involves knowledge within oneself that all children are equal, be they healthy or with special needs and therefore equally deserve security within a family. One should be better informed about the subject and make a choice knowing and understanding all these aspects," says Aloma Lobo, chairperson, IYC Community Centre, Bangalore.
shanthi.selvarajan@timesgroup.com
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/HIV_and_orphaned_Children_no_one_wants/articleshow/2313020.cms
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