Empowering Adolescent Parents Affected by HIV and their Children
Young caregivers affected by HIV and their children are a critical and growing population that need more support if we are to end AIDS and achieve many of the Sustainable Development Goals. They can beat HIV and thrive in life. But they need to be empowered rather than discriminated against.
Miriam is an adolescent mother living with HIV. Adolescent mothers like Miriam face a double stigma. She talks about the need to empower adolescent parents like her to help others. Read her blog.
Tambudzai from Zimbabwe is affected by HIV. She talks about the importance of welcoming adolescent parents into health clinics & of friendly & informative antenatal & postnatal care. Read more.
Sharifah is a peer supporter. She believes acceptance of adolescent parents affected by HIV in schools matters and that continuing education can be an effective means of support. Read more.
Faith is a nurse supporting young mothers in Kenya. In this video, she talks about the importance of individualised support for improved mental health and financial outcomes. Watch now.
Duduzile (Dudu) Dlamini is a Global Advocate of sex worker rights and an Ambassador to the Coalition. She says we must empower adolescent parents, by making space for them in society. Read her blog here.
What Needs to Change
Many adolescent parents and their children are at greater risk of HIV infection as well as poverty, violence, exclusion, poor education, and early childhood developmental delays that limit generations across a lifetime. Now is the time to put #YoungFamiliesFirst. COVID-19 is leaving many more young families in extreme hardship.
• Prioritise adolescent parents affected by HIV and their children in strategies, programs and performance indicators.
• Value them as an integral part of society, community and family.
• Create strong laws and policies that promote and protect their rights.
• Support them to stay in school and to realise their full potential.
• Provide them with holistic support that addresses their biomedical, social and economic needs together. In particular, financial support and economic empowerment; maternal and child health services; HIV prevention, testing and treatment; child care; mental health support; support for early childhood development and support to prevent and respond to intimate partner violence.
• Ensure services are friendly and welcoming and available in the community.
• Invest in local community organisations, including those led by children and young people, and make funding more accessible to them.
• Support young caregivers to have a voice in decision-making at all levels and to deliver support to their peers.
• Teach girls and boys, men and women about sexual and reproductive health and rights and make contraceptives, information and other sexual health services widely available to them.
• Involve men and boys. Champion positive gender norms that promote equality and respect amongst girls and boys, men and women. And tackle harmful norms and practices, stigma and discrimination against them.
See here for a full recommendations for donors, governments, civil society and families and
communities.
• Value them as an integral part of society, community and family.
• Create strong laws and policies that promote and protect their rights.
• Support them to stay in school and to realise their full potential.
• Provide them with holistic support that addresses their biomedical, social and economic needs together. In particular, financial support and economic empowerment; maternal and child health services; HIV prevention, testing and treatment; child care; mental health support; support for early childhood development and support to prevent and respond to intimate partner violence.
• Ensure services are friendly and welcoming and available in the community.
• Invest in local community organisations, including those led by children and young people, and make funding more accessible to them.
• Support young caregivers to have a voice in decision-making at all levels and to deliver support to their peers.
• Teach girls and boys, men and women about sexual and reproductive health and rights and make contraceptives, information and other sexual health services widely available to them.
• Involve men and boys. Champion positive gender norms that promote equality and respect amongst girls and boys, men and women. And tackle harmful norms and practices, stigma and discrimination against them.
See here for a full recommendations for donors, governments, civil society and families and
communities.
Take Action
• Raise awareness on social media using this toolkit
• Review this advocacy agenda and use it to inform your own practices and policies
• Write to your government or community representative using this template advocacy letter
• Join the Champions' Network - a new community of advocates that will receive regular updates
• Use the programming resources provided to deliver support to young families
• Add the campaign E-signature to your emails
• Review this advocacy agenda and use it to inform your own practices and policies
• Write to your government or community representative using this template advocacy letter
• Join the Champions' Network - a new community of advocates that will receive regular updates
• Use the programming resources provided to deliver support to young families
• Add the campaign E-signature to your emails
This campaign is co-sponsored by:
