Cardinal Oscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga, President of Caritas Internationalis, has called for immediate action to prevent the deaths of children with HIV in poor countries.

Speaking about the theme of World AIDS Day, 1 December “Universal access and human rights”, the Caritas Internationalis President said that it is a basic human right that children with HIV are allowed to grow up and become adults.

 Cardinal Rodríguez said, “On World Aids Day 2009, we turn our thoughts to the theme of “Universal access and human rights”. It’s a basic human right that children grow up to become adults and yet half of children with HIV die before their second birthday because they live in poor countries where access to adequate care is limited.  

“For many, the promise of universal access is coming too late. Too late for people like one mother in South Africa whose child died on her back as she raced him to hospital. He had an AIDS-related illness, like his two siblings who also died. The mother is now getting help from Caritas,  but she faces the daily pain of having lost three children who never got access to proper AIDS care.

  “But for millions of other people it is not too late if we act now.  

“Caritas works in communities across the world where HIV is devastating families. Through our “Haart for Children” campaign we are urging governments, pharmaceutical companies and the global community to ensure children have early access to HIV and TB testing and treatment.

“No mother or father should have to watch helplessly as their child dies. No child should have to suffer because they were born in a country with a high AIDS rate and a poor health system. Universal access isn’t about geography, it’s about humanity. It’s about reducing suffering and saving lives. It’s about allowing children to grow up and flourish.”

Up to two million children under 15 across the world are living with HIV. Around 15 million children under 18 have lost one or both parents to an AIDS-related illness.  

In 2009, Caritas Internationalis launched the “Haart for children” campaign to urge governments, pharmaceutical firms and the global community to provide better testing and treatment for children with HIV and TB.  

Caritas is also campaigning to improve efforts to prevent HIV from being passed on from mothers to their children.  

Caritas runs HIV and AIDS programmes in over a hundred countries and has been engaged in tackling the pandemic for over 20 years.