Beyond Borders, Migration and the Effects of HIV/AIDS on Southeast Asian Children and Youth

to appear in International Institute for Child Rights and Development

IICRD, The Interagency Coalition on AIDS and Development (ICAD)

Published: January 2001

Keywords: children, HIV, AIDS, migration, youth, rights, development, community, care, Southeast Asia, participation, CRC, Human Rights, Global Health, Child Abuse

Abstract:

In many Southeast Asian countries, rights of minority children are often violated. Many of these children and youth are exposed to trafficking, sexual exploitation, drug abuse, exploitive labour practices, and a high risk of HIV infection and vulnerability due to the death of parents and/or guardians from AIDS related illnesses. Increasingly, idespread migration exposes already vulnerable children to the socially disruptive affects of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. A continuum of care and support for vulnerable ethnic minority children affected or infected by HIV/AIDS that incorporates children's rights, participation, and culture is greatly needed with the ongoing spread of this deadly virus and all of its social ramifications. Southeast Asia continues to battle with issues of poverty, migration, trafficking, drug abuse, and lack of citizenship and, hence, services for ethnic minorities. There is however, a significant growth in innovative local, national, and regional programs supporting vulnerable children. Similarly, Southeast Asia's developing democracies hold great promise for taking the CRC from ratification to implementation. It is hoped that these guidelines will help organisations maximise support for children and youth at risk, and facilitate the changes that are required to ensure that present community gaps in care and support for children affected by HIV/AIDS and migration can be filled. Only then, will the concerns of children living beyond the borders of their rights be heard, considered, and responded to within the circle of the human family.

Disciplines: Child Rights

Publication: http://web.uvic.ca/iicrd/graphics/beyond%20borders%20web.pdf