World AIDS Day 2002

 

World Aids Day 2002 - Government alone cannot turn the Aids epidemic around

“Government alone cannot turn the Aids epidemic around. This is not to say that government does not have specific responsibilities in this regard. It does, and it must be held to account on the delivery of interventions, such as the provision of health care and adequate social security. Social security (including the provision of cash grants, nutrition, health and education services) for children infected and affected by Aids is critical”, says Patricia Martin, National Coordinator of the Alliance for Children’s Entitlement to Social Security.

The child support grant is a cash grant of R 140.00 per month intended as a supplement to the household income to assist in the provision of children’s basic needs. This grant can impact positively on the quality of life for children who are affected or infected with HIV/AIDS.

The CSG is available to caregivers of children who qualify for the grant, including nonparental caregivers. It is potentially an important source of income and sustenance for children who are no longer living with their parents due to the tragic consequences of AIDS.

At the moment however, the reach and benefit of the CSG is very limited. It is only available to poor children between the ages of 0 and 7. It is further limited within this small group of children to those who are in possession of a birth certificate, and whose caregivers are in possession of a 13-digit bar coded identity document.

As a result, the CSG is not making the difference that it potentially could to the lives of the many thousands of children who are affected by and/or infected by HIV/AIDS. Those older than seven are left outside of the primary children’s social security safety net. Many of those under the age of seven lack the identification documents which are necessary to access the CSG, and hence are excluded from the one and only lifeline available to them. In addition to the difficulties with documents, these children face further barriers preventing their access to the CSG. These include administrative hurdles and cumbersome and poorly administered means testing. In October 2002, 2.1 million children under six years were receiving the CSG. This represents only 42% of the total 5.2 million poor children under the age of seven.

The consequences for the particularly vulnerable groups of children affected and/or infected by HIV / AIDS who fall into these statistics are double edged. Not only are they denied their basic right to social security. In addition, they experience discrimination at home and school, resulting in the denial of their basic rights to education and equality. ACESS proposes the following non-negotiable recommendations for improving the impact of the child support grant and for giving effect to children’s basic rights to education, health and adequate nutrition:

Some of these recommendations also form part of the Committee of Inquiry into a Comprehensive System of Social Security’s report which cabinet will either endorse or recommend when it meets in January 2003.

What ordinary South Africans can do

In the meanwhile, until these changes are brought about by the state, ordinary South Africans can make a positive contribution, and a difference to people whose lives have been devastated by the virus, by assisting those in need, particularly children, to access the social assistance which is available.

Many children infected or affected by HIV/AIDS are among those who although illegible are not receiving the grant. Teachers, community leaders and religious groups are ideally placed to identify children in need and to assist when necessary in providing information and assistance in applying for grants. Research conducted by Soul City revealed that children from families affected, and / or infected by HIV/AIDS suffer widespread discrimination. The research did however also reveal some positive findings. For example, it recorded that both adults and children who participated in the research groups described some people in the community, the church and at school as being kind to them. One of the children said: “Some (teachers) care and help you with the little that you need and show love. On another occasion even the funny ones change their hearts and begin to warm towards you.”

This philosophy should inform the teacher/pupil relationship. A sympathetic approach could lead to the elimination of the many cases of discrimination which children shared with during its child participation workshops. For example, a child whose school fees are not paid being forced to sit on the floor instead of at a desk. Teachers and school governing bodies should instead be assisting pupils in this category to get the school fee exemption owing to them. They should also be implementing the Department of Education’s HIV/AIDS Emergency Guidelines for Educators. The chapter on building an enabling environment and a culture of non-discrimination is particularly pertinent.

The attitude of the community and family to orphans should similarly be one of empathy and love. The ACESS participatory research in which children described their situations in their own words, reflected that, in some cases, children really appreciated the sacrifices a family member had to make to help them and that the children were in a loving environment. However, there were also numerous reports of orphans being exploited. A participant gave the following description of one such child: “She works hard in that house and she is very sad. She does the washing for ten people in that house. And she must clean that house too while the aunt’s kids play. I think she sleeps without eating.”

Another said, “My father died a long time ago. My mother died last year. It’s a pain that will always stay in me because the life that I am living is not a good one. I stay with my aunt. Sometimes I used to fight with my aunt’s child. At the end I will be punished more than her. Living in that home… I feel like I could go somewhere to people who will love me.” Girl 11, KwaZulu

This statement reflects the pain and anguish of children who have lost their parents. Those accepting responsibility for a child in this situation need to accept that there is more to providing a safe environment than just a place to sleep.