Embrace AIDS orphans

She reported that children who have lost their parents to the virus now face rejection by their relatives, according to National AIDS Coordinating Committee (NACC) technical director Dr Amery Browne.

He had made the point at a recent seminar on HIV in the workplace held by the Rotary Club of Port-of-Spain West.

Browne said: “Even grandparents, aunts and uncles seem very reluctant to step forward and say ‘this is my family member, I am going to continue caring to see about this individual’s health, education, welfare’.”

Reports are that in Africa there exist whole villages populated by just children and their grandparents, with a missing generation of parents having been wiped out by AIDS. With no people of working age, crops rot in the fields unharvested and local economies collapse.

Fortunately, in Trinidad and Tobago our situation is not as bad in that regard.

However, the epidemic is still harming the lifestyles of our individual citizens, as stated by Dr Browne.

He remarked: “The impact of HIV and AIDS on the household is a loss of caregivers, income-earners and educators.” In a sad irony, the loss of their parents to AIDS in turn makes these children themselves more vulnerable to the disease. Browne said: “Sometimes when family life is impaired, it leads to vulnerability to HIV.”

To heap even more woes onto those affected by HIV, they also face stigma and discrimination.

Browne said the “label of HIV” added yet another burden which could disrupt the lives of affected families.

“We are talking about employment and the challenges with employment,” he said. Today, we ask the Government to respond to calls made by the former Auditor General Jocelyn Thompson, to enact laws to protect the jobs of persons living with AIDS/HIV. We also call for an end to discrimination against such persons who are at their most vulnerable.

Meanwhile let us all embrace the AIDS orphans. It’s the least we can do.