The International Seminar on Care and Placement of Children Orphaned and Made Vulnerable by AIDS was held in Zhengzhou, Henan 6-8 September, with support from the Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA), the State Council AIDS Working Committee Office (SCAWCO), the Henan Provincial Government and UNICEF.   This was the first Minister-level meeting to specifically examine the impact of AIDS on children and families.  It was attended by Mr. Li Xueju, Minister of Civil Affairs; Mr. Xu Guangchun, Party Secretary General of Henan; Mr. Li Chengyu, Governor of Henan; and representatives from the South African, Kenyan and Thai governments and international children's health and welfare UN and NGO experts.   At the seminar, Henan Province launched China's most comprehensive policy to date aimed and children orphaned or made vulnerable by AIDS.

　　The meetings objectives were to 1) launch the Henan “children orphaned and affected by AIDS policy;” 2) share international good practices and lessons learned; and 3) draft a “policy and practice brief” for consideration by Chinese authorities for future national legislation for children orphaned and made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS.  

　　While no official data exist on how many children have been orphaned and made vulnerable by AIDS in China, estimates from academic institutions indicate that as of end 2005, there are about 140,000 children who lost one or both parents to the disease, and still another half million living with sick parents. The national "4 Frees and 1 Care" applies only to double orphans [loss of both parents], and implementation varies across the country due to disparities in local capacity and political will, and the still prevalent fear, stigma and discrimination around HIV/AIDS in some communities.  In addition, the care and support of children living with sick parents has not yet been sufficiently addressed.

　　UNICEF Representative to China, Dr. Yin Yin Nwe summarized 4 key messages in her opening remarks:

　　Keep Parents Alive -- the best indicator of a child's survival and development is the survival of the mother.  Prevent orphaning!

　　Keep Children in School-- education still remains the best vaccine against AIDS we have -- and is essential for a child's healthy development

　　Keep families out of poverty -- reduce the economic impact of AIDS.  We know families affected by AIDS are more at risk of being poor than those who are not. 

　　Ensure each child’s right to fully contribute to society—that they are protected from exploitation and abuse, and that each child achieve their full potential

　　The "Policy Brief" is a deliverable of the meeting, with an annex of Good Practices to clarify the recommendations.  This document available on CHAIN's website (/english/Resource_Centre/UN_documents/ISCPCOMVA).

For comments and further information please contact:

Zhang Lei: lzhang@unicef.org

Zhao Qi: qzhao@unicef.org

HIV/AIDS Section, UNICEF Office for China

Tel: 86 10 65323131