children in Armenia - Unicef

Young People’s Health & Development
As of April 2005, there were 304 officially
registered cases of human immunodeficiency
virus (HIV), including 57 under the age of 24,
among citizens of the Republic of Armenia.
However, the real number is believed to be 10
times higher. Professionals in the fields of
health, education, social welfare and other
sectors to whom young people could turn for
help are rarely trained in matters of sexuality,
sexual and reproductive health or in the
counseling of young people.
In this environment, sexually active young
people are at a greater risk of unwanted
pregnancy, induced abortion, sexually
transmitted infections (STIs), HIV, and the
associated social and health consequences of
these risks. The lack of education and services
is even more risky for disadvantaged groups of
adolescents such as those who are
institutionalized or deprived of a family
environment.
Until recently, the importance of sexual
education for young people in Armenia was
largely ignored. It has not been incorporated
into the secondary school curriculum and no
related teacher-training syllabus exists. As a
result, parents and other family members, as
well as the larger community, are unable to
effectively support young people in this rapidly
changing environment.
UNICEF is also supporting programmes and
activities that seek to increase young people's
access to information so that they can better
protect themselves from HIV and STIs. The
Young People's Health and Development
project aims to achieve this goal as well as help
young people identify situations that place
them at risk.
In 2005, UNICEF will provide technical support
for collecting and analyzing behavioral data to
better understand the context of vulnerability
and the types of risky behavior that young
people aged 10-18 engage in. This will provide
the basis for developing and implementing
appropriate interventions to improve the health
of young people by minimizing the risk of HIV
infection and contribute to the prevention of its
spread in Armenia.
Recommendations on reducing risk and
preventing HIV infection in infants and young
children were also developed for the Ministry
of Health.
Although attitudes in society towards those
diagnosed with HIV are changing, there is still
discrimination. UNICEF is working in
partnership with other local and international
organizations to change this situation. UNICEF
seeks to strengthen the capacities of young
people aged 10-18 in preventing infection from
HIV/STIs through peer education, youth friendly
health services, and life skills based education.
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