Continuation of the youth highlights from AIDS 2016 Nothing About Us with Out Us- Messages from the youth (Part 1) 

From July 17, 2016 to July 22, 2016 RIATT-ESA advocated for the needs of children and adolescents at the International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2016), in Durban South Africa. 

This blog looks at the links between early sexual activity, pregnancy and child marriage. Highlighting the urgent need for programmes and policies that address early sexual activity in order to put an end to child marriage in Africa.

RIATT-ESA in collaboration with REPSSI and the ACCZ  recently held a series of dialogues with members of the Apostolic Church and the Zion Church. This group of churches is known to accept the practise of child marriages and discourage its members from accessing public medical and educational services. The dialogues and accompanying Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials reached more than 50 000 members in 4 of the 10 provinces of Zimbabwe in April and May 2016. 

My name is Phakamani Moyo, I was born in Zimbabwe in 1992. 

When I was only 5 years old my mother passed away, and a year later I lost my father as well. When all of this was happening I didn’t understand it because I was still too young. After my parents passed away I was cared for by my grandfather for 5 years.

3 out of every 10 females (= 28%) reported at least one experience of sexual violence prior to the age of 18.

Hi, my name is Joao Fernando, I am 17 years old, and in my matric year.  

When I was a child I needed to be cared for by my parents, and above that I needed their love, but I did not have the opportunity to meet them. My parents threw me away, abandoned me, leaving me in a pile of trash when I was 3 years old.

Globally over 21 million babies, children and young people are living with life-limiting conditions and serious, life-threatening illnesses including HIV and AIDS. Most of these children are in the developing world, especially in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. These vulnerable children would all benefit from palliative care to relieve their suffering and promote the best possible quality of life. While some developed countries have reasonable access to children’s hospice and palliative care services, globally less than 1% of children needing palliative care actually receive it. In South Africa an estimated 801,155 children are living with life threatening and incurable illnesses but only 4, 76% have access to palliative care services.

I write to address human right abuses against children and young people living with albinism. As they say justice delayed is justice denied. In our country we have many people who have been sentenced to death in what is called “albino killing”. There are cases where young women have lost body parts and others their lives due to cruel and out-dated beliefs which promote use body parts for lucky charms.

By Kurt Madoerin

Kurt Madoerin and his colleagues first developed and applied the concept of “a child-led organization” in Humuliza region in Tanzania with an organization called Vijana Simama Imara – Youth Standing Upright and later inKwa Wazee with TatuTano. The TatuTano currently has about 1500 members, organized in 220 small groups and integrates children who have either lost their parents and live with their grandparents or live with HIV+ parents.