The HIV/AIDS epidemic is a disaster for children, violating their rights and preventing them from having their needs met. HIV/AIDS touches on nearly every aspect of a child's life. The poorest and the least empowered are the most affected - the children living in poverty, those living with violence and abuse, those living with a disability, and girl children generally.In South Africa, AIDS will kill more people this year than from all other causes put together.

HIV/AIDS is hurting children, violating their rights and preventing them from having their needs met. Below we highlight the rights most dramatically challenged, and some of the ways these will hurt children.

The right to family life and alternative care (UN CRC Articles 5,9,10, 18, 20, 21 and 25)

Children need warm, supportive families. The right to family life and alternative care will be affected by:

Increased rates of children being orphaned

Stressed families with decreased ability to cope with increasing demands

Fewer doing more - with increased time, effort and resources going to care for the sick and the sick unable to contribution normally

Increased psychological problems including depression & anxiety     

Increase in disruptive and destructive behaviours

Poor quality family Life

Inability of government or communities to meet the scale of need for Alternative Family Care

Decreased monitoring of children who are informally placed within extended family systems.

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