A childhood at the edge : the social and educational protection of children with AIDS

Abstract

HIV/AIDS has affected and continues to affect millions of children around the world, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition to its very serious health effects, the disease often leads to discrimination against those who suffer from it, including the violation of some of their most fundamental rights. A wide array of international organizations and agencies has for years developed programs intended to disseminate therapies, to prevent new infections and to combat the stigma and exclusion associated with the disease. Most of these programs propose social and educational global actions. A valuable resource to guide and adapt these programs to local conditions is attaining and understanding of the life experiences of people living with HIV, collected through biographical narratives. As an example of the utility of this approach, this paper presents some results of recent research on Spanish children and adolescents with HIV.