Street Child with HIV Struggles to Access ART
A raped 14-year-old street child with HIV struggles to access ART due to lack of income for food.
Lilongwe, Malawi — A 14-year-old street child who was raped and infected with HIV is struggling to access antiretroviral therapy (ART) amid a lack of income for food, writes Brenard Mwanza.
The boy, who asked to be identified as Owen, says he was raped by an unknown man while living on the streets of Lilongwe.
He said he was infected with HIV some months ago.
Owen told reporters that he does not have any food to eat that can make him strong enough to take ART on a daily basis.
He has asked well-wishers to help him get the medication and food so that he can stay healthy.
“If someone can offer me a job, I may be happy because I will be making money and providing for my food. As I am talking, I don’t even have any place to sleep,” he said.
Moses Mwalabu, executive director of One Step Foundation, an organisation that works with street children, said Owen’s situation is “pathetic.”
He said it is important for Owen to take ART so that he can stay healthy and not transmit the virus to others.
“As it is, issues of sex in the streets are so rampant and cumbersome,” Mwalabu said.
“Girls are being impregnated, bearing children, and raising them on the streets. But the worry is that if this boy is not supported, he may end up transmitting the virus to many of his friends, as homosexuality is so unbearable in the streets.”
Sub-inspector William Chirambo, the Child Protection Officer for Lilongwe, said the police have not received a report of the rape.
He said the police would investigate the matter if a report was filed.
Lilongwe district social welfare officer Derrick Mwenda said the council is working to eliminate all street-connected children from the streets.
He said the council plans to engage the parents of such children and empower them financially so that they can support their children.
Over 4,000 children are reported to be on the streets of Malawi’s major cities of Lilongwe, Zomba, Blantyre, and Mzuzu.
These children face social exclusion and exposure to risks that rob them of good health and personal safety.
Life for street connected children mmmmm