Children infected or affected by HIV/AIDS experience school life the same as other children although most of them felt that they were stigmatized or discriminated against, a new study has found.
The study, which examines the effects of HIV-related stigma and discrimination against school-age children, found normal attendance among children who were infected or affected by HIV/AIDS, except in a few cases where they were either ill or forced to take care of there primary caregivers. It also found that the children’s performance in school was on par with those not infected or affected. It said too that many principals and teachers, who were also participants in the study, reported that they were not aware of any national HIV policies and programmes and that their schools did not have an HIV policy but a few reported HIV activities.
The research, conducted by the Caribbean Child Development Centre (CCDC), the Consortium for Social Development and Research, UWI Open Campus, with support from UNESCO’s Kingston, Jamaica Cluster Office and local partners in Guyana, drew information from 19 infected and 20 affected children between the ages of 10 and 18. Additionally, a comparison sample of 35 children not infected or affected from the same school and classes were included in the survey along with 74 caregivers for all three groups and 20 principals with 35 teachers.
According to Joan Thomas, Research Fellow at CCDC, who presented the preliminary findings at a stakeholders’ meeting at the Grand Coastal Inn yesterday, many of the caregivers involved in the study were mostly single women, who were employed in unskilled jobs. Some listed their jobs as ‘sex workers.’
The major objective of the study, which took a while to commence because of the delay in Guyana granting ethical approval, was to explore the experiences of stigma and discrimination among children infected and affected by HIV and for them to relate these to their school experiences and learning outcomes. Thomas, in her report, made it clear that some of the findings were preliminary, since there was still some “sorting” to be done before the final results were presented. “We have to sort it out and you would be informed, as it is right now is cautious reporting,” she told the small gathering of stakeholders.
Similar experiences
Meanwhile, other findings in the study revealed that all the children had similar school experiences, with most of them reporting that they liked school and they got along well with classmates and teachers. During the course of the study, the children were given standardized tests in Mathematics, Reading and Spelling to determine how they were performing. According to Thomas, no “group did significantly better or worse than the other.”
Children infected or affected by HIV also did not differ significantly from their comparisons in reported symptoms of depression and anxiety nor did they differ in their behavior, as it related to kindness and disciplinary problems, such as fighting. The latter was rated by caregivers.
Thomas told the group that the infected and affected children reported that they felt stigmatized or were discriminated against. “Infected and affected children did not differ significantly from comparison to other children in their opinions on whether people with HIV should be blamed for and ashamed of their infected,” Thomas, however, added.
Most of the children knew how HIV is transmitted while some of the children and their school principals along with teachers reported that they were aware of children in their school who were infected. Most of the children felt that someone with HIV should either keep it a secret or tell only their family members while most parents of the comparison children felt that principals and teachers should be told if a child is living with HIV was attending school.
On the other hand, parents of the children infected or affected by HIV felt that neither principal or teachers nor other children and their parents should know of an infected student’s HIV status. Principals and teachers thought that only school personnel should be informed of a child’s status.
Further, the findings revealed that all participants had positive attitudes towards children with HIV with most of the children reporting that they would not be afraid of a friend if he or she told them that they had HIV. Teachers and principals said HIV infected students should be allowed to attend school and that they should not be segregated from other children.
Minister of Health Dr Leslie Ramsammy, in his address to the meeting, warned that there should never be a reason for stigmatizing persons living with HIV. He added that he would never hesitate when it comes to standing up for an infected child who was discriminated against. The minister mentioned an incident some years ago when a child was refused entry to a day care centre after her mother had succumbed to HIV. According to the minister, no organization came out in defence of the child and when he did he was cautioned by the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association that he should find out the reason. “There should never be a reason to discriminate against any child living with HIV,” he emphasized.
Statistics presented by the National Aids Programme Secretariat indicated that there were some 1176 reported HIV cases at the end of this year with some 184 children being on pediatric treatment.
