15-year-old Jane is an adolescents living with HIV in Lagos Nigeria. She was told that she contracted the virus from her mother when she was born. Because of her condition, she was refused admission into the secondary school of her choice.
She is no alone. 10-year-old Paul also suffered discrimination and rejection after his status was made known. When his uncle found out he was positive, he threw him out of the house, making him homeless.
These were some of the experiences narrated by adolescents with HIV during an advocacy meeting with policy makers last Friday at De Renaissance Hotel, Ikeja Lagos.
About 50 of them, aged 10-19, from Kaduna, Abuja, Akwa Ibom, Benue, Anambra and Lagos State, narrated their ordeal and challenges, at the end of a two-week national mentorship and leadership training held at Ronik Comprehensive Secondary School Ejigbo, Lagos, and sponsored by UNICEF.
With teary eyes, they requested for a policy against pre-admission HIV testing and other forms of discrimination against adolescents seeking admission into any institution.
They appealed to government and all stakeholders to facilitate free comprehensive HIV treatment without any user fees, for adolescents and young people in all government owned sites across Nigeria.
They called for a standardized adolescent and youth friendly health service and the implementation of sexual education for them.
“The age of consent for HIV counselling and testing should be reduced to 14 instead of the current 18 years. This will ensure more young people know their HIV status on time and commence treatment promptly.
Adolescents with HIV should be represented at relevant state and national technical working groups to ensure integration of issues affecting us”, they said.
Responding to these issues, Wife of Lagos State Governor, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode assured the youths that their demands would be looked into. The first Lady who was represented by Mrs. Rhoda Ayinde, assured the children that HIV is not a crime but circumstantial illness that can be addressed. She said the problem of stigmatization can be addressed with counselling and orientation, and called on the media to assist in telling people this fact.
On the issue of denial of admission, Representative of Lagos Ministry of Education, Mrs. Ajoke Gbeleyi, said there is already a law against discrimination of HIV positive persons in Lagos State. She encouraged them to report any such case to the ministry of education.
The CEO Lagos State AIDS Control Agency (LSACA), Dr Oluseyi Temowo, admitted that the rights and needs of adolescents have been overlooked in HIV response but said the state had started addressing the issues, “we have realized this, and that is why we are coming on board to involve them in HIV treatment response in Lagos state. In Lagos state, ARV drugs are available for free, we have started personnel training on how to relate with adolescents when they come for treatment. We have also abolished administrative fees for HIV services for adolescents.
Meanwhile, a recent survey by UNICEF showed that lots of young people are missing out on HIV treatment in Nigeria. Explaining this at the camp, UNICEF HIV/AIDS Specialist, Dr. Anslem Audu Otobo, said the number of youths coming out to know their status is very low.
“From the survey we carried out in Lagos, out of 28,000 people that were counselled and tested between the period of January 2014 to September 2014, we had roughly above 2,000 of them that were adolescents and young people. This really shows they are actually missing out while the prevalence of HIV among them is about 2%.
“We now saw it as a reason why we should intervene to ensure adolescents and young people are reached with HIV/AIDS services. This camp is very essential in helping us know more about them and see how their capacity can be built so that they in turn can go back to their facilities and communities and ensure that their support groups and peer groups are functional and working and then they get information about sexual developments.
“This camp is the first of its kind that UNICEF is supporting. it is very essential in helping us know more about these young people and build their capacity.
We have done something similar before but this is the first time we are taking it to a higher level in which the children are able to meet with the policy makers. Previously it was all about capacity building but beyond that, these adolescents are now able to meet with policy makers to see how policies are put on the table to reach out to adolescents living with HIV/AIDS”, he said.
Explaining further, UNICEF HIV/AIDS Specialist, Victoria Isiramen, said there has been a lot of slow response and delay in reaching out to adolescents with HIV in Nigeria. “so based on this, UNICEF catalyzed action to ensure that adolescents are in the center in every aspect of the HIV response.
“We started what we call an All-In initiative aimed at ending adolescent HIV by 2030. With the All-In, we are calling on all stakeholders, communities, NGOs, at home, schools, to say that adolescents should become major actors in intervention programs. We want active and meaningful participation of adolescents in interventions, we need to ensure that the budgets address their needs, they are in an age of adventure and creativity so services should address this need. All government should set aside fund for this innovation towards ending HIV in adolescents”, she said.
She is no alone. 10-year-old Paul also suffered discrimination and rejection after his status was made known. When his uncle found out he was positive, he threw him out of the house, making him homeless.
These were some of the experiences narrated by adolescents with HIV during an advocacy meeting with policy makers last Friday at De Renaissance Hotel, Ikeja Lagos.
With teary eyes, they requested for a policy against pre-admission HIV testing and other forms of discrimination against adolescents seeking admission into any institution.
They appealed to government and all stakeholders to facilitate free comprehensive HIV treatment without any user fees, for adolescents and young people in all government owned sites across Nigeria.
They called for a standardized adolescent and youth friendly health service and the implementation of sexual education for them.
“The age of consent for HIV counselling and testing should be reduced to 14 instead of the current 18 years. This will ensure more young people know their HIV status on time and commence treatment promptly.
Adolescents with HIV should be represented at relevant state and national technical working groups to ensure integration of issues affecting us”, they said.
Responding to these issues, Wife of Lagos State Governor, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode assured the youths that their demands would be looked into. The first Lady who was represented by Mrs. Rhoda Ayinde, assured the children that HIV is not a crime but circumstantial illness that can be addressed. She said the problem of stigmatization can be addressed with counselling and orientation, and called on the media to assist in telling people this fact.
On the issue of denial of admission, Representative of Lagos Ministry of Education, Mrs. Ajoke Gbeleyi, said there is already a law against discrimination of HIV positive persons in Lagos State. She encouraged them to report any such case to the ministry of education.
The CEO Lagos State AIDS Control Agency (LSACA), Dr Oluseyi Temowo, admitted that the rights and needs of adolescents have been overlooked in HIV response but said the state had started addressing the issues, “we have realized this, and that is why we are coming on board to involve them in HIV treatment response in Lagos state. In Lagos state, ARV drugs are available for free, we have started personnel training on how to relate with adolescents when they come for treatment. We have also abolished administrative fees for HIV services for adolescents.
Meanwhile, a recent survey by UNICEF showed that lots of young people are missing out on HIV treatment in Nigeria. Explaining this at the camp, UNICEF HIV/AIDS Specialist, Dr. Anslem Audu Otobo, said the number of youths coming out to know their status is very low.
“From the survey we carried out in Lagos, out of 28,000 people that were counselled and tested between the period of January 2014 to September 2014, we had roughly above 2,000 of them that were adolescents and young people. This really shows they are actually missing out while the prevalence of HIV among them is about 2%.
“We now saw it as a reason why we should intervene to ensure adolescents and young people are reached with HIV/AIDS services. This camp is very essential in helping us know more about them and see how their capacity can be built so that they in turn can go back to their facilities and communities and ensure that their support groups and peer groups are functional and working and then they get information about sexual developments.
“This camp is the first of its kind that UNICEF is supporting. it is very essential in helping us know more about these young people and build their capacity.
We have done something similar before but this is the first time we are taking it to a higher level in which the children are able to meet with the policy makers. Previously it was all about capacity building but beyond that, these adolescents are now able to meet with policy makers to see how policies are put on the table to reach out to adolescents living with HIV/AIDS”, he said.
Explaining further, UNICEF HIV/AIDS Specialist, Victoria Isiramen, said there has been a lot of slow response and delay in reaching out to adolescents with HIV in Nigeria. “so based on this, UNICEF catalyzed action to ensure that adolescents are in the center in every aspect of the HIV response.
“We started what we call an All-In initiative aimed at ending adolescent HIV by 2030. With the All-In, we are calling on all stakeholders, communities, NGOs, at home, schools, to say that adolescents should become major actors in intervention programs. We want active and meaningful participation of adolescents in interventions, we need to ensure that the budgets address their needs, they are in an age of adventure and creativity so services should address this need. All government should set aside fund for this innovation towards ending HIV in adolescents”, she said.
Comments