MPs Speak Up on HIV/AIDS Epidemic in Africa

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 25th Jun 2004

Speaking this week in a debate on the effects of HIV/AIDS in Africa, Annette Brooke MP and Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Children raised the tragic issue of orphans and vulnerable children suffering as a result of the AIDS epidemic in Africa.

The debate was called by Hugh Bayley MP for York, and Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Africa following the recent publication of a special report "Averting Catastrophe - Aids in 21st Century Africa". The National Audit Office has also recently assessed the effectiveness and efficiency of the funding given by the Department of International Development (DfID) to African nations to combat the spread of the disease and to help those affected by it.

Both reports, and the discussion and debate they generate as a result, are crucial for stressing the urgency of the situation in Africa, and the importance of an international strategy to help avert a global disaster. Developed countries do need to assist African nations to help themselves, to secure and stabilise the future of the continent.

Annette Brooke MP said:

"More than 13.4 million children under the age of 15 have lost their mother or father or both parents to AIDS, and that number is rising fast. In addition to those children who are orphaned, there are millions more are highly vulnerable because their parents suffer from AIDS or because the wider family is greatly affected, but there are also children who live with HIV/AIDS.

"The impact of HIV/AIDS on children goes beyond the growing number of them that are affected by it. A parent's level of illness may make it difficult for them to care for their children and that has further knock on effects.

"I support World Vision's call on DfID to advocate and provide support for the completion of national orphans and vulnerable children's strategies with time bound action plans in all countries that have generalised epidemics."

A recent World Bank study has indicated that countries in Africa such as South Africa could face economic collapse within several generations unless the AIDS epidemic is combated and the situation is a vicious circle.

Many African countries are suffering the loss of their middle classes and skilled young workers. The loss of such a large proportion of a country's key professionals, such as teachers, nurses lawyers, economists and government administrations means that much of sub-Saharan Africa is losing the human resources necessary to enable them to develop economically and thereby meet the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

Concluding her speech, Annette Brooke said:

"We must remember the forgotten children and take action now on behalf of orphans and vulnerable children, for the future of Africa."