The root causes of exclusion

HIV/AIDS is destroying children’s lives in the worst-affected countries.

© UNICEF/HQ00-0350/Alejandro Balaguer

Six-year-old Joao and four-year-old Jessica play with toys, seated on a bed with their mother, who is HIV positive (Brazil).

Children living with or affected by HIV/AIDS, or in countries with high prevalence rates, face an extremely high risk of exclusion from access to essential services, care and protection, as parents, teachers, health workers and other adults fall sick and eventually die.

The pandemic is wiping out families, the first line of protection for children. Some 15 million children have already lost one or more parents to the disease, and millions more have been made vulnerable as the virus destroys families, communities, provinces and, in the worst-affected countries, whole nations.

The deaths of parents and other caregivers put a lot of pressure on children, who often have to take on adult roles too early in life and can miss out on an education as well as other services. These children can also face stigma and discrimination in their communities, and are more exposed to violence, abuse and exploitation.

HIV/AIDS also threatens the very survival of children and young people. Young people between the ages of 15 and 24 now make up nearly one third of people living with HIV/AIDS around the world.

Look at the graph below. You can see that children in all regions of the world are living with HIV.