Misery of Minikins
By Monika Special Children Educator &
Sophia Graceline Child Psychologist
No one will ask their kids not to play, not to eat ice cream, not to get help if they are wounded and many other nice and important things. But kids who are faced with impossible odds when they are so small go through misery that even the strongest couldn’t handle. Children with terminal illnesses and those without cure go through sufferings that each human being must understand. As we bring to you the struggles of children with different ailments, we humbly request you to take the time to understand and spread the awareness so that children would get help and wouldn’t face discrimination.
There are many diseases that cause unfathomable misery to children. And as we see them one by one in order to learn about how we can treat them with dignity and care, we start with this article on the plight if children with HIV and AIDS. So if you are wondering whether HIV and AIDS are the same or 2 different diseases, HIV is a virus (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) which infects a person. At first the HIV begins with stage 1 where if diagnosed early can be kept under control from spreading faster. Since this disease doesn’t have a cure, they can continue to spread and move on to further stages over a period of time depending upon various factors. When the infection of HIV goes from Stage 2 to Stage 3 it is called AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome). At this stage the symptoms of the infection become more severe and more visible as the virus destroy most immunity cells. This is when it becomes more complicated to treat.
When a baby is born, usually there is so much joy that the babies cries are welcomed with joyous laughter. But what happens in India when a child is born, and without any of his/her fault is found to be infected with HIV?? India has more number of children orphaned very early in their lives through HIV in the world, mainly due to the overwhelming population.
This is the plight of the children born with HIV or infected with it by account of sexual abuse or other careless acts.
- STIGMA
1. Children born with HIV at birth are born with Stigma as they are told not to play with other children
2. If they fall down, others don’t touch them even to help them fearing infection. So they have to tend to their own wounds. - DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS
1. Owing to delayed physical development which affects the growth of children with HIV, they are unable to participate at the same level in sports and physical activities like others.
2. Most of them have delayed mental development issues also triggered by delayed neurological development which leads to inability to cope with education pertaining to their age while affecting their communication skills (language in particular) the most.
3. Growth issue turn into psychiatric problems and they acquire various disorders mainly ADHD. - NORMAL LIFE RESTRICTIONS
1. While normal children eat anything they like and don’t fall sick easily, HIV victims could not eat what they want because of their sickness prone health condition owing to lesser resistance to diseases. - DEPRESSION
1. Children who come to know about the veracity of the disease have anxiety attacks and could not stop imagining imminent death. This is triggered many times by insensitive doctors who tell kids that they will die soon.
2. When the children realise that the disease they have does not have any cure, they become depressed no matter what others say to make them feel alright and cultivate suicidal tendencies.
3. If and when the children get to know that their sickness is passed down from their parents, they start developing hatred towards their parents for being so careless and selfish and giving them the disease.
4. The victims don’t like to take medications everyday and the process of going and getting their medicines every month makes them wanna throw them away…
5. The victim children are filled with anger thinking they are in this condition because of HIV and imagine that if everyone had that then at least others would feel their pain and difficulties.
6. Loneliness is a common struggle for children with HIV.
7. Hiding their sickness and constant advice by caretakers to not disclose their condition to anyone leaves the children to undergo mental stress and brings back all the wrong questions to mind while reminding them that they are not normal like others.
8. Along with hiding their conditions, they are told not to mingle with friends in schools or colleges. This causes them to mentally recede from social life and their withdrawal causes major trauma and they makes them susceptible to any love or relationships from outside and is also one of the cause for many HIV positive people carelessly having unprotected sexual relationships with unaffected people and leads them to partner with those who provide the sense of belonging even if it means they are sexually abused or misused. - DISCRIMINATION
1. When in a family with multiple children, when one child gets HIV, they alone are sent to a children’s care home to protect the others from further infection. So when this child with HIV sees that their family is happy and it is because they have another child without HIV, they becomes angry and their mental state deteriorates to be disobedient in their homes.
2. Many teachers discriminate them when they find out about their infection, asking them to stay away from other students in order to prevent the spread of disease. without their knowledge
3. When children ask for leave on a working day to go and get their medications (which are prescribed on a particular day of a month), teachers ask the reason and when children struggle to give an alternative explanation, they mistake them as planning to bunk classes deliberately and would scold them or sometimes deny them leave. - SHAMING
1. Many people who find out about a child or teenager’s HIV positive infection ask them if they we involved in improper relationships with immoral people. They also spread such ruthless and damning rumours within the institution, students and colleagues which turns the place into a walk-in hell for the students with HIV to endure each day. - CONTEMPLATING DEATH
1. Watching the declining health and facing the death of loved ones can have a lasting impact on normal people. But for children and teenagers with HIV and watching or hearing about the death of their loved ones, it becomes a trauma that makes them reflect on their future.
2. When HIV infections reach stage 3 and become AIDS, the deteriorating health causes unspeakable misery in the hearts and minds of little ones as it becomes dreadful to live each day while thinking that it won’t last long. The toll it takes mentally translates into horrific anxiety, deafening silence, confusion and mental shutdown seen through receding social interactions, refraining from verbal communications and inability to understand words of encouragement and love.
Knowing things about HIV will actually go a long way in helping the children who are affected with HIV and already living in hiding.
Parents must be careful not to spread HIV to their children during conception. For more than 2 decades India has AIDs control programmes like PPTCT – Prevention of Parent to Child Transmission and ANC – Antenatal Care which must be utilised by parents before planning for a baby.
Allowing the victims to get proper treatment in time can save their life and also prevent another person or child from getting infected
Relatives, friends, teachers, colleagues and neighbours should practice discretion and not expose children with HIV to prevent discrimination and stigma.
HIV is transmitted by
HIV is not transmitted by
If you come across a child infected by HIV, show some kindness and care. Because what they are going through is already tough to bear. If you find a child suffering with HIV and needing help and counselling, please feel comfortable to call us.
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