|
——
“This
catastrophe is unprecedented. Never in history have
we had to think about what life will be like on
this planet with millions and millions of children
growing up on their own, struggling to survive.
Not only do we have a moral obligation to take care
of these children, but for the sake our species,
for the love of life as we know it, we had better
act now, before it’s too late.”
Lauren Segal, Co-Founder
——
ALARMING STATISTICS*
•
62%
of HIV/AIDS cases worldwide are in Sub-Saharan
Africa.
• 58%
of AIDS cases in Sub-Saharan Africa are women.
• Which
means almost 35% of AIDS cases worldwide are women
in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• In
Swaziland 43% of pregnant women are HIV positive.
• One
third of the entire population of South Africa
is HIV positive.
• Everyday
6500 Africans die of AIDS; equivalent to two 911’s
every single day.
• There
are an estimated 40.3 million people worldwide
currently living with the HIV virus; and almost
5 million newly infected people in 2005.
• Everyday,
nearly 1800 children under the age of 15 contract
the HIV virus and 1400 die of AIDS-related illness.
• Every
14 seconds, an African child loses a parent to
AIDS.
• Everyday,
more than 6,000 young people aged 15-24 acquire
the HIV virus.
• Only
10% of the 15 million African children orphaned
by AIDS are receiving any kind of public support.
• “Child-Headed
Household” is an official population category
in South Africa. Young girls have to prostitute
themselves to provide for their siblings.
——
See graphs
and charts about the state of childhood in Africa.
www.unicef.org/sowc06/statistics/charts.php
——
These vulnerable
children suffer from a myriad of problems and human
rights abuses*:
•
Grief
and stress of watching parents fall ill and die.
• A
decline in nutritional status.
• Loss
of health care.
• Increased
demands for their labor.
• Reduced
opportunities for education.
• Loss
of inheritance.
• Homelessness.
• Discrimination.
•
Physical and sexual abuse, which in turn exposes
them to HIV infection.
——
A GLOBAL VIEW
Global Estimates For Adults + Children, End 2004*
Region
Sub-Saharan
Africa
South + Southeast Asia
Latin America
East Europe + Central Asia
North America
Western Europe
North Africa + Middle East
Caribbean
Oceania
|
Living with AIDS
25.4
Million
7.1 Million
1.7 Million
1.4 Million
1 Million
610,000
540,000
440,000
35,000
|
Deaths from AIDS
3.1
Million
690,000
240,000
210,000
44,000
21,000
92,000
53,000
5,000
|
* sources UNICEF,
UNAIDS, and others
|
