The Role of Communities Affected by HIV/AIDS for the Protection of Children's Rights
Creators: name: Brunet, Alexandra
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 2020
Subjects: HIV/AIDS
Orphans
Children's Rights
Jinja
Uganda
Sub-Saharan
Africa
Protection
Roles

description: Uganda is one of the first African countries affected by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the early 1980s. The country did not have the resources to provide the required treatments and prevent the spread of the virus. The poor and sometimes non-existent health care services increased the spread of HIV in the country, especially in rural areas where some communities are hard to reach. This study sought to explore the services and support offered to children in different Ugandan communities, as well as to understand their perceptions about these interventions. Structured interviews using a mapping technique with 15 children aged between 13 and 17 years were conducted in five districts in Jinja town. Direct observations were also conducted in five different sub-counties through The AIDS Support Organization (TASO). Content qualitative analysis was used to capture the children’s perceptions. There were 6 themes identified in this study: 1) Children identified family, friends, pastors and teachers as key actors in their social circle as people who are respecting their rights; 2) Chairpersons were crucial to the daily functionality of their communities, where they provide safety and consultation services; 3) Although some children acknowledged the presence of local, national and international organizations for developing and implementing projects, most children were unaware of the presence, specific functionalities, or the operation centres of the organizations. In consort, they were unaware of the services out there designed to help vulnerable children; 4) Children had various sex disaggregated responsibilities, from financial support for their families (girls) to subsistence activities (boys). Work responsibilities and childbearing expectations hindered girls from staying in school after the secondary level; 5) Children felt more comfortable discussing perceived delicate and sensitive topics (e.g. secrets) with friends. Children were least comfortable expressing their opinions with adults to whom they could not relate (e.g. educational aspirations). Children were mainly afraid to openly discuss sensitive and difficult topics with adults due to fears of the negative consequences, such as physical beatings, of disobedience; 6) Unavailability and inaccessibility of secondary and post-secondary schools in remote communities hindered children from receiving education past primary levels. Our findings revealed some key challenges that vulnerable children in Uganda can face, including discomfort and fear about speaking with adults, responsibilities and unavailability or inaccessibility of education, as well as the lack of knowledge and awareness of the available services. Our findings also revealed some central, positive influences in the children’s lives, including friends, some family, teachers, and pastors. These findings can help to reduce the contextual uncertainties in the study communities and to inform targeted interventions that utilize the positive influences to help vulnerable children address and overcome the key challenges. Future studies should be conducted to understand whether the responsibilities of children towards the adults could affect the protection of their rights as they might be limited to some services or simply not aware of them.