On the eve of World AIDS Day (December 1) on Monday (today), Save the Children, UK, released a report conducted with the help of Protection and Health of Children against Abuse and Neglect (PEHCHAN) in Lahore. The estimated number of HIV positive cases is 74,000 people, ranging between 24,000 and up to 150,000 in Pakistan. A couple of children, including Imran and Nasir hailing from Vehari and Multan respectively, while talking to this correspondent here at Ali Park in redlight area, said that almost all the children in the vicinity were addicted to various kinds of drugs as well as involved in often unsafe sexual practices in one way or the other. They didn’t want to return their homes due to attraction towards drugs.
Talking to The News, Dr Naeem Zafar, a representative of PEHCHAN, confirmed that these vulnerable children were absolutely on their own, as everybody, including the officials of government, NGOs and even the media, were exploiting them for their own benefits.
In the report based on 58 respondents, the children’s average age was 15 year, 28 per cent reached up to grade five of their education, worked up to 10-12 hours, 100 per cent reported domestic violence with 8-member average family size with average monthly household income of $160 per month and individual child’s average income is $38 per month.
Out of total 58 respondents, 35 reported addiction to one or more substances and 23 claimed no addiction. The items of addiction include charas (cannabis), heroine, tobacco, alcohol, glue, injection and tablets/cough syrups. At least 36 children, including 28 boys and eight girls, reported one or more symptoms of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) while 22 children, including 20 boys and two girls, did not report any symptoms of STIs.
A total of 19 per cent children said police positively helped them, 60 per cent were of the view that police didn’t help them when they needed it, 15 per cent claimed that the police officials were involved in their sexual exploitation and six per cent of them didn’t respond.
Most of the 15,000-20,000 estimated child sex workers present in Lahore live in areas near bus stands and railway station. Male child prostitution is more common than any other form of commercial sexual exploitation in Pakistan.
Though the trend of selling organs (kidney.) for cash does not seem to have caught hold in Lahore or was not reported, quite a few children were aware of the fact that they could sell their blood for money if the need arose. The limited blood screening facilities make such practice extremely unsafe and can spread HIV/AIDS on a rapid scale. Though not a single child admitted to resorting to this practice, they had come to know about this through adult drug addicts. In Pakistan, demographic vulnerability, high prevalence rates of Hepatitis B (around 10 per cent) and Hepatitis C (6-8 per cent), risky sexual behaviours and low contraceptive use compound the probability for contracting HIV/AIDS in Pakistan.
Since HIV virus spreads fastest among those who have unprotected sex with a large number of partners (especially if they have untreated Sexually Transmitted Infections -STIs) and those who engage in especially risky sexual practices and those who share injecting equipment (syringes and needles) with other people, therefore, children living in an unprotected environment-away from their primary caregivers-are especially vulnerable. Only 45 per cent of Pakistani adolescents surveyed in 14 districts knew about HIV/AIDS while 52 per cent of them believed they could resist peer pressure.
Tattooing, selling blood, organ removal, usage of unsafe dental equipment, ear and nose piercing make children on the streets more vulnerable to contracting HIV. Masochism through piercing oneself with blades, usually while sniffing glue, as a way to release anger is very common in nearly all street children. The report further says early marriage can make girls under 18 vulnerable to contracting HIV. In rural areas, as many as 42 per cent of girls below the age of 19 are married and their husbands, usually older men, were likely to be sexually experienced. Besides, lack of education and poverty also compound vulnerability to HIV/AIDS among the people.
In Pakistan, the estimated population aged below 18 years is 71 million, and 3.6 million children are involved in child labour. About 1.2 million children are on the streets in Pakistan’s large cities, working as beggars, vendors or shoeshine boys.
As many as 15 to 25 per cent children in Pakistan are affected by Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) of varying forms and intensity while only heinous crimes are highlighted by the media. Occupational safety for working children is non-existent. Trash pickers often handle used syringes and children working in auto shops are vulnerable to cuts and injuries from tools handled by everyone.
Furthermore, it is mentioned that a total of 40.3 million people are globally affected by HIV and AIDS out of which two million adolescents and 570,000 children died in 2005. A child dies of AIDS every minute somewhere in the world. Every minute, one child under 15 years becomes HIV positive somewhere in the world.
Talking to The News, Dr Naeem Zafar, a representative of PEHCHAN, confirmed that these vulnerable children were absolutely on their own, as everybody, including the officials of government, NGOs and even the media, were exploiting them for their own benefits.
In the report based on 58 respondents, the children’s average age was 15 year, 28 per cent reached up to grade five of their education, worked up to 10-12 hours, 100 per cent reported domestic violence with 8-member average family size with average monthly household income of $160 per month and individual child’s average income is $38 per month.
Out of total 58 respondents, 35 reported addiction to one or more substances and 23 claimed no addiction. The items of addiction include charas (cannabis), heroine, tobacco, alcohol, glue, injection and tablets/cough syrups. At least 36 children, including 28 boys and eight girls, reported one or more symptoms of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) while 22 children, including 20 boys and two girls, did not report any symptoms of STIs.
A total of 19 per cent children said police positively helped them, 60 per cent were of the view that police didn’t help them when they needed it, 15 per cent claimed that the police officials were involved in their sexual exploitation and six per cent of them didn’t respond.
Most of the 15,000-20,000 estimated child sex workers present in Lahore live in areas near bus stands and railway station. Male child prostitution is more common than any other form of commercial sexual exploitation in Pakistan.
Though the trend of selling organs (kidney.) for cash does not seem to have caught hold in Lahore or was not reported, quite a few children were aware of the fact that they could sell their blood for money if the need arose. The limited blood screening facilities make such practice extremely unsafe and can spread HIV/AIDS on a rapid scale. Though not a single child admitted to resorting to this practice, they had come to know about this through adult drug addicts. In Pakistan, demographic vulnerability, high prevalence rates of Hepatitis B (around 10 per cent) and Hepatitis C (6-8 per cent), risky sexual behaviours and low contraceptive use compound the probability for contracting HIV/AIDS in Pakistan.
Since HIV virus spreads fastest among those who have unprotected sex with a large number of partners (especially if they have untreated Sexually Transmitted Infections -STIs) and those who engage in especially risky sexual practices and those who share injecting equipment (syringes and needles) with other people, therefore, children living in an unprotected environment-away from their primary caregivers-are especially vulnerable. Only 45 per cent of Pakistani adolescents surveyed in 14 districts knew about HIV/AIDS while 52 per cent of them believed they could resist peer pressure.
Tattooing, selling blood, organ removal, usage of unsafe dental equipment, ear and nose piercing make children on the streets more vulnerable to contracting HIV. Masochism through piercing oneself with blades, usually while sniffing glue, as a way to release anger is very common in nearly all street children. The report further says early marriage can make girls under 18 vulnerable to contracting HIV. In rural areas, as many as 42 per cent of girls below the age of 19 are married and their husbands, usually older men, were likely to be sexually experienced. Besides, lack of education and poverty also compound vulnerability to HIV/AIDS among the people.
In Pakistan, the estimated population aged below 18 years is 71 million, and 3.6 million children are involved in child labour. About 1.2 million children are on the streets in Pakistan’s large cities, working as beggars, vendors or shoeshine boys.
As many as 15 to 25 per cent children in Pakistan are affected by Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) of varying forms and intensity while only heinous crimes are highlighted by the media. Occupational safety for working children is non-existent. Trash pickers often handle used syringes and children working in auto shops are vulnerable to cuts and injuries from tools handled by everyone.
Furthermore, it is mentioned that a total of 40.3 million people are globally affected by HIV and AIDS out of which two million adolescents and 570,000 children died in 2005. A child dies of AIDS every minute somewhere in the world. Every minute, one child under 15 years becomes HIV positive somewhere in the world.
1 comments:
Powerful Herbal treatment is 100% guarantee.
Hello everyone, I want to say a special thanks to Dr OGU. for helping me get cured from herpes virus 2019 , I contacted him base on the testimonies I saw about him on the internet I was diagnosed of HERPES Virus i have tried all I can to get cured but all to know avail, until i saw a post in a health forum about a herbal man who prepare herbal medication to cure all kind of diseases including HERPES virus, at first i doubted if it was real but decided to give it a try I was cured by his herbal medicine and natural herbs, kindly contact him today through his email: drogugusolutionhome@gmail.com or text/call: +1 (719) 629 0982
He’s waiting to help you.
HE ALSO SPECIALIZE IN THE FOLLOWING DISEASES;
If you have any sickness like : H I V/AIDS , CANCER , HERPES HSV 1 or 2 , GENITAL WARTS, Yeast-infection's (HPV), and Hepatitis A, B. liver diseases , Diabetes, 1 or 2. , fibroids, Chlamydia, Genital herpes, Alzheimer’s, Trichomoniasis , Tuberculosis, CAD, Gonorrhea, Epilepsy, and Syphilis.
Post a Comment