Jones Lynne
Afr J AIDS Res. 2005 Dec;4(3):161-71. doi: 10.2989/16085900509490355.
This paper explores the role of the family in caring for orphans and other children in poor urban communities having some of the highest levels of HIV/AIDS prevalence in the world. A range of family forms in Swaziland was found to be caring for orphans. Child-headed households and lone-elderly carers were not the most common; maternal kin played a more important role in orphan care than did paternal kin, indicating both stresses due to AIDS and the dynamic nature of the family. Women of all ages were bearing the brunt of the extra care responsibilities caused by the epidemic. There was limited involvement in children's well-being by agencies of any kind and orphan care remained largely situated within kin structures. The AIDS epidemic was impacting on families in a variety of ways, with a corresponding increase in poverty and vulnerability. Carers did not perceive orphans as a separate category of children requiring assistance over and above any other vulnerable child. Families require assistance at the household, community and national level. Meanwhile, community-based initiatives were poorly developed. Welfare sector policies should strengthen the family model of childcare by increasing support to the poorest families rather than treating orphans as a separate category of vulnerable children and thereby excluding other needy children.
本文探讨了在世界上艾滋病毒/艾滋病感染率最高的一些贫困城市社区中，家庭在照顾孤儿和其他儿童方面所起的作用。研究发现，斯威士兰有一系列家庭形式在照顾孤儿。以儿童为户主的家庭和独居老年照顾者并非最常见的；母系亲属在孤儿照料中所起的作用比父系亲属更为重要，这既表明了艾滋病造成的压力，也体现了家庭的动态性质。各年龄段的女性首当其冲地承担着这一流行病带来的额外照料责任。各类机构对儿童福祉的参与有限，孤儿照料在很大程度上仍局限于亲属结构之中。艾滋病疫情正以多种方式影响着家庭，相应地导致贫困加剧和脆弱性增加。照料者并不认为孤儿是一类需要得到比其他弱势儿童更多援助的特殊儿童。家庭在家庭、社区和国家层面都需要援助。与此同时，基于社区的倡议发展不足。福利部门的政策应通过增加对最贫困家庭的支持来强化家庭育儿模式，而不是将孤儿视为一类特殊的弱势儿童，从而将其他贫困儿童排除在外。
