“AIDS orphans” and “orphans and vulnerable children”: stigmatising terms

Regarding the risks of stigma, Stein points out that: ”One concern about creating terms to name or define a group, especially a group with as many problem as ‘Orphans and Vulnerable Children’ (OVC), is that group members become objectified or automatically become targets of stigma. A large number of institutions avoid the use of ‘AIDS orphans’ because the expression is stigmatising since it may incorrectly label these children and lead to social exclusion. In-depth research has shown that stigmatisation undermines government and community efforts to fight effectively against the problem of orphans and further hinders the emotional recovery of children” Stein, 2003. (double translation English-French-English)

Stigma and discrimination increases violations of children’s rights, such as their access to education, to social services, and to community and family support. Therefore, some terms or definitions must be used with caution in the literature, policy planning, and programmes.

For example, to identify orphans or children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS, UNAIDS and UNICEF’s last report “Children on the Brink 2004” used such terms as “orphans due to HIV/AIDS,” “orphaned by AIDS” or the expression “children affected by HIV/AIDS. The authors also recommend “to avoid using acronyms such as ‘OVC’ (for orphans and vulnerable children) or ‘CABA’ (for children affected by HIV/AIDS). Experience has shown that such jargon eventually becomes used at the community level to identify particular children” UNICEF, UNAIDS et al., 2004.

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