Perspectives on Intergenerational Vulnerability for Adolescents Affected by HIV: An Argument for Voice and Visibility

Abstract

The authors address the dynamic role of adolescents affected by HIV and AIDS. They analyse evidence for how intergenerational dynamics interact with HIV‐related vulnerability, through the likely influence of being AIDS‐affected on vulnerability to HIV infection, and through intergenerational reproductions of structural disadvantages and social determinants of HIV vulnerability. They review evidence of AIDS' impacts on children and of contextual influences on their vulnerability to infection, linked to orphaning, inequality and lack of education. They point to the paucity of longitudinal research into this area and challenges in uncovering structural determinants of vulnerability. Pressure for generalised ‘hard’ evidence in global policy fails to capture context‐specific dynamics. Focus shifts from the notion of children as passive ‘objects’ of study to one that includes ‘agency’ as central to adolescents maturing and interacting with multiple challenges. The authors argue for new approaches to research and policy, giving children voice and visibility in these debates.

Enhancing Psychosocial Support for HIV Positive Adolescents in Harare, Zimbabwe

“…Separately there is growing recognition of the need to involve youth researchers in research design, conduct and analysis [67], [68]. The general belief is that this will likely enable greater equity in the research process, eliminating the hierarchical power dynamics which characterize much research with young people, and which can characterize research conducted by ‘Northern’-led teams in resource-limited settings [67], [69].…”

“…The general belief is that this will likely enable greater equity in the research process, eliminating the hierarchical power dynamics which characterize much research with young people, and which can characterize research conducted by ‘Northern’-led teams in resource-limited settings [67], [69]. Although youth researchers were able to collect quantitative data, their interviewing skills were sub-optimal (e.g.…”

‘Pregnancy Has Its Advantages’: The Voices of Street Connected Children and Youth in Eldoret, Kenya

“…Outcomes such as unintended pregnancies [ 21 ] and sexually transmitted diseases including HIV are therefore common among this vulnerable group. [ 17 , 19 , 21 , 22 , 24 , 25 ] Unfortunately, Kenya like many other countries lack specialized health services for this population. We found limited studies that have explored pregnancy from the perspectives of SCCY.…”

Time to Call the Bluff: (De)-constructing ‘Women's Vulnerability’, HIV and Sexual Health

“…We have some circumstantial evidence that impacts of AIDS can generate gendered intergenerational disadvantages for affected children, but the field is woefully under researched (Hallman, 2008;Edstr˛m and Khan, 2009). This may be partially explained by lack of longitudinal research, lack of official data on sexual health of children and a widely institutionalized silence around children'sâ nd adolescents'^sexuality.We simply do not know what proportion of the estimated 45 percent of new sexually transmitted infections which are accounted for by young people (15^24) actually occur in children under 18, but we know it is fairly large, particularly amongst girls.…”