Jessica Maw, December 3rd 2008, 11:20PM
Afghanistan has a relatively low rate of confirmed HIV cases but alarm bells are being rung for an expected rise in cases especially in street children. Children are at high risk of contracting it in Afghanistan states UNICEF Maternal Health and HIV Specialist. According to Aschiana, a Non-Governmental Organization working with street children, there are more than 70,000 children who live on the street. In the country there is an issue with the vulnerability of children contracting HIV but at the same time the modes of transmission are a taboo which can not be talked about openly. Included in these taboo subjects are male-to-male sex with children and intravenous drug use.
The last thirty years in Afghanistan have caused broken families from war which has resulted in children now have to be dependent on themselves and in some cases even having to be the breadwinners for what remains of their family. These children will routinely spend their days begging on the streets which increase their vulnerability by being preyed upon by criminal groups who use children as sex workers and introduce them to drug use.
These issues are not helped through the fact that Afghanistan is one of the world’s largest suppliers of heroin which makes it readily available. A lack of education for the children regarding drug use is helping the growing trend of addiction and infection. These problems combined with a weak government, high rates of illiteracy and migration, and the large domestic production of heroin has enabled HIV/AIDS to take root and grow among the vulnerable populations.
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/afghanistan_46717.html
3 comments:
It doesn't help the situation to know there's a huge military presence over there at the moment, and my God every nation on Earth has its best warriors on Afghan soil! Sorry...just being dramatic. With the political and social circumstances adding to the health problem the question becomes where should the government place top priority? They obviously don't want an AIDS epidemic in their neck of the woods, but at the same time other pressing matters make it really hard for them to decide.
Education is probably the main problem concerning the country. I think you hit the nail on the head when you said that its hard to fix the situation in the country with all the miltary presence there.
I agree with the fact that the military presence over there is a hindrance to the Afghan people. These people need to be educated but with such a weak government how can this become a reality? This is a very unfortunate situation. The fact that studies are showing that this will be the case, maybe somehow there will be a remedy to these problems before they get worse.
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