Blame & Banishment - Médecins du Monde

Blame and Banishment: The underground HIV epidemic affecting children in Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Acknowledgements
This document was prepared by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Regional
Office for Central and Eastern Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States (CEE/CIS).
The authors of this report – Nina Ferencic, Ruslan Malyuta, Paul Nary, Jadranka Mimica
in collaboration with Alayne Adams and Anne Winter – wish to thank the following for
their support: John Budd for communication and editorial guidance, and Marie-Christine
Belgharbi for logistical and administrative support. Thanks to UNICEF Regional Office
colleagues, including Gordon Alexander and Séverine Jacomy Vité for their review and
comments on the various chapters.
Very special thanks to UNICEF Country Office representatives, deputy representatives and,
in particular, the HIV/AIDS and communication focal points who contributed information,
stories and images for this report. Their commitment and hard work in addressing the HIV
epidemic in the region on a daily basis are highly appreciated. UNICEF colleagues in country
offices in Albania, Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova,
Montenegro, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan were
particularly helpful.
Thanks to Joanna Busza from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and
Claire Thorne from the Institute of Child Health, University of London, for providing valuable
data and references. Thanks to civil society representatives, including Sergei Kostin, Robert
Gamble, Alexander Tsekhanovich, Neil Hunt and representatives from the Eurasian Harm
Reduction Network and the East Europe & Central Asia Union of Organizations of People
Living with HIV/AIDS, for sharing their experiences.
Thanks to Jimmy Kolker and the UNICEF Headquarters HIV/AIDS and Campaign teams and other
HQ colleagues for their reviews and comments; and to Maria Calivis for her continued support.
Special thanks to Steven Allen, Regional Director CEE/CIS, and Kirsi Madi, Deputy Regional
Director, for their trust and support in making this report happen.
Every reasonable effort has been made to verify the accuracy of data and of all the
information presented in this report. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of
the contributing authors and do not necessarily reflect the policies or the views of UNICEF.
The electronic version of this report and a number of other related materials, including
additional information on many of the personal interest stories and materials presented
in this report, can be accessed and downloaded from the UNICEF CEE/CIS web site:
www.unicef.org/ceecis.
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