PACIFIC ISLANDS REPORT

Pacific Islands Development Program/East-West Center
With Support From Center for Pacific Islands Studies/University of Hawai‘i

By Zoe Bake-Paterson

Pacific Islands AIDS Foundation (Feb. 7) – Here is what we don't know: How is HIV impacting children in the Pacific Islands?

How many children and adolescents are living with HIV? How many are orphans because of HIV? How many are living with parents living with HIV? These are just some of the questions we need answers to in order to know whether or not children and adolescents affected by HIV and AIDS are receiving the support they need in the Pacific Islands.

If they are orphans or are living with an HIV positive parent, are they being supported? Are they getting counseling, proper nutrition, shelter, adult care, health care, and access to education? If they are HIV positive, do they have access to treatment? Are they getting condoms, information on sexual and reproductive health, peer support, counseling, and education?

Before you shrug this off as a non-Pacific issue, here is what we do know: At least six Pacific countries have families where children are living with HIV infected family members or are living with HIV themselves. These countries are Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, and New Zealand. While it might seem odd to link children/adolescents affected by HIV and children/adolescents living with the virus together, the line is thin. Both are extremely vulnerable and under-represented.

The Pacific Islands AIDS Foundation calls for a stronger commitment to supporting children and youth infected and affected by HIV. We need to act to protect the most vulnerable.

[PIR Editor’s Note: According to their website, the Pacific Islands AIDS Foundation (PIAF) is the first and sole regional non-governmental organization focusing exclusively on HIV/AIDS in the Pacific Islands. PIAF was born out of the vision of its founder, Ms. Maire Bopp Dupont, a young Tahitian woman first diagnosed HIV positive in 1998. The organization was formed in January 2003 and registered under the Charitable Trust Act of the Cook Islands where the Foundation is based.]

Sexuality of Young People Living with HIV

The number of young people living with, or born with, HIV is rapidly growing. "In the past no one believed young people born with HIV would ever live to adolescence and adulthood, but access to antiretroviral treatment is making this possible," says Dr. Harriet Buringi, Population Council. "These young people are beginning to explore their sexuality, they are dating and some are sexually active."

This is a new and growing group of adolescents facing brand new realities, yet where are programs and policies for these youth? Health workers in many regions of the world have shown hesitancy in talking about sexual and reproductive needs of young HIV positive people - sometimes called young positives. When it comes to adolescents, sexual health programs and HIV programs tend to focus on prevention and risk of infection.

"In Asia and the Pacific 60 percent of the population is 15-25 years old. Whether it is a tsunami or HIV, it will greatly affect them. This means you should consult them. Do they want the ABCs (a popular prevention motto: Abstain, Be faithful, Consistently use Condoms) or do they want the whole alphabet?" asks a youth from Asia, attending the conference.

The ABCs are a popular prevention motto: Abstain or delay having sex, Be faithful to one partner, Consistently use Condoms!

There is a huge reluctance to discuss or even recognize sexual desires of young people, much less the more specific needs of HIV positive young people. It is time we recognized the needs of these people and direct some attention towards their needs.

"Many young positives desire to be just like any other boy or girl growing up," says Dr. Biringi. "There is an increased desire to act upon sexual needs and intimacy. They desire to love and be loved."

Children and Adolescence affected by HIV

Globally, there are 15 million orphans because of the growing HIV epidemic. Many are in Sub-Saharan Africa, but numbers are growing in other regions as well. "Areas that are most impacted are places that have high levels of heterosexual transmission plus high fertility (leading to large families) plus low contraception use plus a lack or antiretroviral treatment," says Dr. Nancy Williamson, Family Health International. While orphans are often shrugged off as an issue that solely affects Africa, the assessment from Dr. Williamson reflects many of the realities in Papua New Guinea.