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Recommendations

To President Putin and the government of the Russian Federation

  • Prioritize HIV/AIDS in public policy. HIV/AIDS must have a visibly higher priority among top government officials, starting with the president. Only with public recognition of the problem can Russia hope to lessen the stigma of the disease. The president and other top officials can help reduce the stigma of HIV/AIDS by addressing the problem publicly, visiting AIDS centers, and increasing funding for public awareness campaigns to educate the public about HIV/AIDS.
  • Designate an inter-ministry HIV/AIDS committee to meet regularly and coordinate efforts to ensure Russia’s HIV-positive population has access to the health care, education and job security to which it is entitled under the Federal Law on Prevention of Dissemination in the Russian Federation of the Disease Caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus.
  • Designate an official body to investigate complaints about violations of the 1995 AIDS law. These would include cases of orphanages refusing to accept HIV-positive children, kindergartens refusing to register children of HIV-positive parents, and HIV-positive patients being refused medical treatment on the basis of their viral status.

To the Russian Ministry of Health

  • Immediately end the widespread practice of segregating babies abandoned by HIV-positive mothers. Babies who require no special medical attention should be transferred to an orphanage within the first days of their lives. Ensure that the level of care these babies are to receive in regular orphanages is equal to that currently provided by specialized orphanages.
  • Step up training programs for medical personnel and child care workers in day care centers and orphanages on HIV/AIDS and its transmission, including prevention of mother-to-child-transmission. Health officials need to ensure that HIV-positive women have access to responsive medical care and accurate information about the available means of preventing transmission to their child.
  • Establish clear policies and guidelines for city and provincial orphanages to handle the growing number of HIV-positive children.

To the Russian Ministry of Education and Science5

  • Set up a task force to deal with the issue of educating HIV-positive children and establish clear guidelines against discriminatory behavior in kindergartens and schools. Abolish the discriminatory practice of barring HIV-positive children and adults from entering kindergartens, schools, technical schools and universities.

To the Local Municipalities

  • End the propiska/registration restriction that limits an HIV-positive woman’s access to prenatal and anti-retroviral medications. End the propiska system for HIV-positive children, for whom a transfer to another facility would be in the best interests of their health and development.

To UNAIDS

  • Work with the government of the Russian Federation to improve public education and information about HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment, including measures to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission. Provide technical and financial assistance to train health workers about appropriate antenatal care for pregnant women living with HIV, and to train health workers and orphanage staff on working with children living with or affected by HIV/AIDS.

To UNICEF

  • Assist the Ministry of Education to develop policies and guidelines for the care and protection of the children of HIV-positive mothers within the school system.



[5] In 2004 the Russian Ministry of Education was reorganized and renamed the Ministry of Education and Science. In this report it is referred to as the Ministry of Education or the education ministry.


<<previous  |  index  |  next>>June 2005