The government has also begun several

The government has also begun several programmes designed to prevent the transmission of HIV from mother to child. “However, the exclusive focus on persons considered ‘high-risk’, and the moral judgement that has coloured the government’s response and, in turn, the public’s perception have obscured the situation of children,” the report adds.

Human Rights Watch has recommended that the Indian government:

• Make discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS illegal.
• Ensure that children living with HIV/AIDS receive all available medical care.
• Plan for the protection of children whose parents are unable to care for them, and prohibit institutions from discriminating against HIV/AIDS-affected children.
• Provide all children, both in and out of school, with age-appropriate information about HIV/AIDS.

Human Rights Watch conducted research for this report in 2003 in Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Delhi, and followed it up with queries from New York. The researchers spoke with more than 170 people, including 51 children.