What about growing adolescents living with HIV? - The emerging need
The advancements
in care and treatment for HIV has brought in hope to many children and young people
living with HIV, to live and contribute much to the society. As this success is
seen,the challenge in helping children born with HIV and who have grown into
adolescence is often neglected in our current programmes. The issue becomes
more complex for adolescents ,especially girls from lower income group , and
under the care of grandparents and widowed mothers. The reason being, mostly of
the adolescents show lack of interest in studies and often perform poor in
academics. Thanks to the department of education in allowing children pass till
their 9th grade that they go to school, but in their 10th
grade, most of them have not been able to pass the grade .On comparing the performance
of adolescents enrolled with the center, more number of girls have failed than the
boys.
Such girls,
especially those brought up by grandparents; do not show interest in pursuing
their studies further and with limited opportunities for other vocational
courses (if one has failed) most of them have to be in their homes.This has
resulted in greater vulnerabilities,especially among young girls in rural areas
where marriages younger than 15 years of
age are common.In addition most often the adolescents become the care takers
and decision-makers at homes headed by grandparents.This has resulted young
girls living with HIV to engage in casual and sexual relationships .Some have
gone further in arranging marriages on their own and without informing the
partner their status.
Recently within
a span of three months ,we have come across two instances of a 15 year old and
17 year old young girls living with HIV who have failed in their 10th
exams and looked after by their grandparents have got engaged in such
relationships. In one instance when we visited the family we learnt that the
grandparents were not aware of the HIV transmission routes, especially through
sexual intercourse and had thought ARV medicines as a cure for HIV. In both the
instances, the girls themselves have taken decisions and gone ahead with
marriages.
Positive
prevention education for young people living with HIV is essential and very
crucial at the moment.
The emerging
needs:
- Hospitals to be made more youth friendly for
young adolescents living with HIV to access information about HIV and
their health
- Equipping counselors with information and
skills in handling adolescent children
- Partnerships with CBO’s and NGO’s strengthened
to ensure effective follow-up of young people and their care takers
- Effective programmes, like life skills,
support groups for young people to help them plan and make responsible and
safe choices of their future.
- Care takers, especially grandparents have
to be oriented on the complete details of HIV.