Russia's Abandoned Children

Voice 1 Thank you for joining us for today's Spotlight program. I'm Rebekah Schipper. Voice 2 And I'm Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 1 Tanya is a three and a half year old girl. She has never played with another child. She has only been outside one or two times in her whole life.

Voice 2 Masha is six [6]. She is quiet, but kind. She has light blond hair and big blue eyes.

Voice 1 Dima is a very shy and quiet five [5] year old. He and his little brother spent three [3] years alone in a hospital.

Voice 2 These children all have something in common. Yes - they are all Russian. Yes - they are all very young. But there is also something very sad that brings them together. All these children were abandoned by their mothers. The mothers of these children were all HIV positive. They carried the virus that causes AIDS. And they left their children at the hospital, after their children were born. The mothers thought their children might also carry HIV. These children continue to suffer because of a country-wide fear of HIV and AIDS. Today's Spotlight is on this problem. Voice 1 HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. People can receive treatment for AIDS. But there is no cure for it. In Russia, experts recorded the first case of HIV in 1987. At first, Russia seemed almost unaffected by AIDS. But experts say that cases soon increased at a huge rate. It became an epidemic.

Voice 2 Experts estimate that today about one [1] percent of the Russian population lives with HIV. But they believe that the numbers could be much higher. The United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, works for children's rights, survival, development, and protection. They say that Russia has one [1] of the fastest growing AIDS epidemics in the world. One hundred [100] people there become infected with HIV every day. And UNICEF says that the number of women living with HIV has more than doubled in the past few years. This is especially frightening.

Voice 1 During birth, an HIV positive mother can pass the virus on to her baby. However, this does not happen in the majority of cases. Without prevention services, HIV positive mothers pass on the virus thirty-five [35] percent of the time. And with prevention services, the number is much lower. But many women do not know this.

Voice 2 Every day in Russia about twenty [20] HIV positive women give birth. Of these twenty [20] new babies, on average two [2] will be abandoned by their mothers. Their mothers will leave them at the hospital.

Voice 1 Experts say the fear of HIV is very great in Russia. The mothers may leave their babies because they feel too much shame. Or some may not feel able to care for their babies. They may be afraid of having a sick baby. There is very little support in Russia for AIDS sufferers.

Voice 2 So what happens to these abandoned babies? Normally, an orphanage would care for them. Orphanages are homes for babies and children without parents. But orphanages often refuse to care for babies who may be HIV positive. So, abandoned babies stay at the hospital.

Voice 1 It takes the Russian government eighteen [18] months to officially say if a baby is HIV positive or not. If a baby is not HIV positive, he will go to an orphanage. But if he is HIV positive, he will most likely stay at the hospital. Sadly, the HIV positive children will probably stay at the hospital for a very long time.

Voice 2 But hospitals are not the best places for these babies to be. As a baby grows, he learns how to communicate. He learns how to play with others. He learns how to think. These developmental levels are very important. But to learn all these things, babies need attention. They need people to talk to them and play with them.

Voice 1 Babies in the hospital do not usually get the attention they need. Nurses or caregivers may be too busy with other hospital patients. Or they may just be too afraid to care for the babies. So, many of the children in hospitals suffer from extreme loneliness.

Voice 2 But there is one place in Russia where HIV positive babies are welcome. This is the Republican Hospital for Infectious Diseases in the city of Ust-Izhora. Abandoned HIV positive babies can come here when orphanages do not accept them. But sadly, the center can only care for forty [40] children. Yevgeny Voronin established this hospital. He says that the bad experiences children have before they get to the hospital can affect them their whole lives.

Voice 3 “These children [all look the same] - they do not show any emotion, their face is mask-like, they do not smile, they sit in one place.” Voice 1 Yelena Vedmed also works at the Republican Hospital for Infectious Diseases. She agrees that, often, these abandoned babies do not get the care they need - especially mentally.

Voice 4 “Absolutely all the children that came here had developmental problems... Two year old children had the developmental level of a six month old baby.” Voice 2 Workers at the Hospital for Infectious Diseases do their best to care for these abandoned children. But they cannot care for every child. And most of all, they worry that people outside the hospital will never accept the HIV positive children. Yevgeny says: Voice 3 “People are still [afraid]; they think these children have no future. [The children] are denied [chances] because of prejudices. [People believe] that they will not live long, [and] ... they are easily infectious. In reality, this is [completely] not true. [There are] new medicines...now. But what was in people's heads twenty [20] years ago has not changed. The worst punishment for these children is not HIV, it is [the] [people's] prejudice. This is the most terrible punishment.” Voice 1 Russian lawmakers have tried to force orphanages to take the HIV positive babies. But the results have not been encouraging. Yelena says: Voice 4 “...A new law was introduced which [required] orphanages to accept [these children]. We tried once - at an orphanage nearby... But after we went there, we [understood] that the level of AIDS [fear] is so high that our child would be isolated [and alone] again. So we did not give this child away.” Voice 2 Yelena hopes that one day, the people of Russia will not be as afraid of people who have HIV. She wants people to know that HIV positive people are no different than anyone else. They have many good qualities and skills. And she hopes that children can help to change the old ideas people have about HIV positive people.

Voice 4 “Maybe when people see how wonderful and [skilled] our children are, this may change their ideas.” Voice 1 People around the world have bad ideas about people with HIV and AIDS. But ideas can change. What are the ideas toward HIV and AIDS in your area?

Voice 2 Computer users can hear more Spotlight programs on our website at www.radio.english.net. This program is called “Russia's Abandoned Children.” Voice 1 You can email us at radio @ english . net. Goodbye!