Community Development and Social Services Minister Catherine Namugala has revealed that some orphanages and Child care Facilities have been testing children for HIV/AIDS to exclude them from the facilities once tested positive.
Ms Namugala said such an act of discrimination was a violation of the United Nations Rights of children and cap 1, article 23 of the Constitution of Zambia.
She disclosed this at a press briefing held in Lusaka today.
She pointed out that testing of children should only be done in the best interest of the child in order to provide treatment and other necessary interventions, but not for purposes of exclusion.
The Minister added that all orphanages and Childcare facilities have been asked to come up with clear policy on issues of HIV/AIDS that is neither biased nor discriminatory.
Meanwhile, Ms Namugala has requested all orphanages and childcare facilities providing care to orphans and vulnerable children that have not registered to report to the district or provincial social welfare office for registration in accordance
with the Juveniles Act, subsection (1) section 43.
She noted that that some facilities were providing good intervention services to children, while others were offering sub-standard facilities and poor intervention programmes.
She added that her ministry was mandated to inspect and close institutions that failed to comply with set standards and failure to register with the department.
ZANIS
