Abstract Book Vol. 2 [International Conference on AIDS (14th: 2002: Barcelona, Spain)]

310 Abstracts WePeG6911-WePeG6914

XIV International AIDS Conference

Issues/Description: Women in prostitution have concerns, which are very different from those of the women in the general population. As the progression of the
virus in the case of these women is faster, they require more support in terms of
nutrition, medical support and planning for their children.
Children of women in prostitution are affected in multiple ways. Life in the red
light area itself makes them vulnerable to abuse exploitation and HIV Coping with
the stigma of being children of women in prostitution itself is difficult. Coping with
HIV+ve status of the mother, her frequent illnesses and then her death is a traumatic experience for any child. But with the death of the mother, these children
tend to lose the only true adult whom they related to.
Lessons learnt: Through our interventions in the red light areas, we feel that it is
important:
Empowering children to decide for themselves
Rehabilitation of the children
Helping HIV +ve women to decide for their children
Developing a brothel based care model for the sick women.
Preparing women to face the fact of HIV/AIDS
Recommendations: The need is not to have separate policies for children who
are affected by HIV but to include children and their care as a major aspect of
policy making thus not segregating affected children. There is also a need for understanding the needs of the women in prostitution and designing programmes
accordingly.
Presenting author: Sarita Shankaran, Committed Communities Development
Trust, 8,Pali Chimbai Municipal School, St. Joseph's Road, Bandra (w), Mumbai
- 400050, India, Tel.: [phone], Fax: [phone], E-mail: ccdtrust
@bom5.vsnl.net.in
WePeG6911 Role of the social welfare sector in southern
Africa in the context of HIV/AIDS
N.P. Hall. SAfAIDS, 17 Beveridge Road, Avondale, Harare, Zimbabwe
Issues: There are many serious social consequences of the epidemic, which end
up as the responsibility of government departments of welfare and NGOs. Social
workers, employed by these agencies, are very involved with HIV/AIDS on a number of levels - which extend from individual case-based work with clients and their
families to attempting to influence social policy and political commitment to tackle
the epidemic.
Description: There are several key factors that the social welfare sector needs
to take into account in responding to the epidemic in southern Africa. In addition to the major underlying factors of poverty, gender inequity, social insecurity
and mobility must be added concerns such as limited health care access, limited
condom use; multiple sexual partnerships; and insufficient awareness and prevention programmes. All these factors have contributed to the magnitude of the
problem. Social workers are very involved with communities, families and individuals infected and affected by HIV/AIDS and have a unique contribution to make
in tackling some of these issues, which will be outlined in this paper.
Lessons learned: Social workers should advocate for government to channel resources and create legislation and policy frameworks towards strengthening and
supporting the existing traditional welfare system of the extended family and community. This has the advantage of cultural acceptability, and bolstering the care
and protection normally provided by the family is also much more cost effective
and sustainable.
Recommendations: The scale of the response required demonstrates the need
for the departments of social welfare to build strong links with the community, and
to assist families and communities to cope in particular with the orphan care crisis. In addition advocacy by social workers at national, regional and international
levels to strengthen the resolve of governments and civil society to address the
many problems caused by HIV/AIDS is needed.
Presenting author: Nigel Hall, 17 Beveridge Road, Avondale, Harare, Zimbabwe,
Tel.: [phone], Fax: [phone], E-mail: [email protected]
WePeG6912 Orphan and vulnerable children crisis intervention
program: A case on Botswana
B.L. Seitlhamo1, M.B. Molojwane2, G.N. Mabua2. b UNICEE POBox 20678 Plot
22, UN. PlaceGaborone, Botswana; 2Government, Gaborone, Botswana
Issues: Short Term Plan Of Action On Care of Orphans in Botswana: A Community Based Orphan Care program: As of 2000 Botswana has a projected number
of 75000 orphans. 28,980 are registered and supported under the Short Term
Plan of Action On Care of Orphans (SPTA program). Discussions entails needs
scope, strategic interventions in place, implementation challenges, progress, limitations and envisaged future action...
Description: A response to immediate Orphan needs, stake holder identification,
roles and responsibilities in addressing the orphan crisis, establishing mechanisms for supporting national community based initiatives, developing long-term
Program for care of Orphan and Vulnerable Children. Policy development, Insti
tutional capacity building and strengthening, Delivery of Social Welfare Services,
Program Co-ordination, management, monitoring and evaluation.
Lessons learnt: Implementing STPA helped mobilise action: assessment and
registration of OVC; provision of material and emotional services by community; creation of child care structures sensitive to OVC and famillies affected by
HIV/AIDS; increased partnership responses between UNICEF, Government Of
Botswana, UN Agencies and the NGO Community.

Recommendations: A way forward will address; program evaluation; Child Care
Policy development integrating OVC. articulating effective referral, networking,
and collaboration, quality control. Legal and policy reforms responsive to needs
of HIV/AIDS infected children on Home Based Care, responding to psycho social
impact of HIV/AIDS on children, taking the program to scale in the light of severity of the epidemic and problems faced by families and children, creation of links
between OVC and PMTCP programs as a component of long term care for OVC.
Presenting author: Boipelo Seitlhamo, PO.Box 20678 Plot 22, UN.
Place,Gaborone, Botswana, Tel.: [phone], Fax: [phone], Email: [email protected]
WePeG691313 Destiny's children - a peep into their world of
social welfare and protection
P.K. Baneriee. New Alipore Praajak Development Society p-777, block 'p, new
alipore, kolkata, west bengal, India
The incidence of trafficking of boys is rising at an alarming rate in India and it's
neighbouring countries. The destiny of these boys, make not only them vulnerable to HIV but also the populace of the two countries in the broader spectrum of
the epidemic.
Description: Kolkata acts as a hub for children being trafficked from Bangladesh
& Nepal. These Destiny's Children are often intercepted at the Transit points and
the border towns by the Law enforcing agencies and remanded in the Police Station. From the police Station they are quite often transferred to Jails (which is illegal) before sending them to the Juvenile Observation Homes. The boys undergo
physical and sexual abuse starting from the Trafficker to the Police, Jail inmates
and finally their peers at the Observation Homes. Those who escape from the
clutches of the Trafficker find themselves staying on the Railway Platforms. They
often have sex in lieu of protection and food with older boys & porters. These
platforms boys frequently end up at the Remand Homes on being intercepted by
the railway police. The Border Security Force of both countries aids the Repatriation of the boys to their respective country. The BSF personnel who also frequent
female sex workers for sexual gratification often sexually abuse the children.
Lesson learned: 1. Rampant unprotected sex with multiple partners, render
these children vulnerable to HIV. 2. Government acknowledges the gravity of the
issue of Trafficking of boys, but lacks the foresight in respect of the HIV/AIDS coupling factor. 3. Children considered to be asexual are not in the priority list of the
vulnerable group.
Recommendations: 1. Networking with the NGO's operating in both sides of the
border to raise awareness with the law enforcing agencies regarding Safer Sex
Practices and Child Rights. 2. Development of Child Friendly IEC material. 3. Policy Level Advocacy with respective countries govt to curb Trafficking. 4. Sexual
Health Programmes, Counseling aimed at the Children
Presenting author: protik banerjee, p-777, block 'p', new alipore, kolkata, west
bengal, India, Tel.: [phone], Fax: [phone], E-mail:
protikbanerjee @ yahoo.co.in
WePeG69144 The WTO Declaration on TRIPS and public health
and opportunities for increasing access to
HIV/AIDS treatment in developing countries
E.FM. Hoen. MSF 8, rue Saint sabin, 75544 Paris Cedex 11, France
Issues: Medicines to treat HIV/AIDS are too expensive for many people and communities in developing countries. An important issue for the expense of drugs is
intellectual property protection in particular drug patents. Implementation of the
World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property
Rights (TRIPS) Agreement is expected to have a further negative effect on access
to medicines.
Description: A group of developing countries, and NGOs have made access to
medicines a highly-visible issue, especially within the World Trade Organization
(WTO). Developing countries that attempt to bring the price of medicines down
have come under pressure from industrialised countries and the multinational
pharmaceutical industry. While the TRIPS Agreement offers safeguards to remedy negative effects of patent protection, in practice it has been unclear whether
and how countries can make use of these safeguards. The WTO Ministerial Conference in 2001 adopted a Declaration on TRIPS and Public Health affirming the
sovereign rights of governments to take measures to protect public health and
offering clarity on measures countries can take to remedy the negative effect of
patent protection in particular by issuing compulsory licenses.
Lessons Learned: The main lesson learned is how coalitions of developing countries and NGOs can gain important change in international trade regulations. The
Doha declaration signals important progress, but great efforts are needed to assure that this progress produces change at the national and community level.
Recommendations: The Doha Declaration has opened many possibilities for improving access to pharmaceuticals, including HIV treatments, which now have to
be translated into action at the national level. In addition, important issues remain

unresolved, in particular the right of countries to produce and export generic versions of medicines to address health needs in other countries.
Presenting author: Ellen Hoen, 8, rue Saint sabin, 75544 Paris Cedex 11,
France, Tel.: [phone], Fax: [phone], E-mail: ellen.t.hoen@paris.
msf.org