Vietnam Population and AIDS Indicator Survey 2005 ... - Measure DHS

CHILDREN AT RISK 8
8.1 KEY FINDINGS
• Four percent of children under age 18 have lost a parent.
• Ninety-nine percent of children age 5-17 possess the three materials considered basic.
• Fifteen percent of orphans (single or double) are not living with all their siblings.
• Forty-four percent of adults responsible for a child have made plans in the event they are unable
to care for said children.
• Ten percent of widows have been dispossessed of property.
8.2 INTRODUCTION
The repercussions of HIV are not limited to those infected with the virus. The children of infected
parents are likely to become orphans in need of new caretakers. When a household takes in an orphaned
child, household resources may be spread more thinly.
8.3 LIVING ARRANGEMENTS
Table 8.1 presents data on the prevalence of orphanhood in Vietnam. Four percent of children
under the age of 18 have lost one or both parents. Only a fraction of children are reported to have lost
both parents (0.2 percent). Percentage of children who have lost at least one parent increases from 1
percent of those under age two to 7 percent of those age 15-17.
Eighty-five percent of all children under age 18 are living with both their parents. A child not
living with both parents is more likely the result of separate living arrangements, rather than the child
having been orphaned. A child not living with both parents is most likely living with his/her mother while
the father is living elsewhere. This scenario pertains to 7 percent of children under age 18. Boys and girls
are equally likely to be living with both of their parents. The percentage of children who live with both
parents declines somewhat as children grow older, from 89 percent of children under age 2 living with
both parents, to 80 percent of 15-17 year-olds living with both parents. Of the four targeted provinces,
one-quarter of children in HCMC do not live with both their parents, and most of this is due to not living
with a father who is living elsewhere.
8.4 BIRTH REGISTRATION
In the Household Questionnaire, the VPAIS asked for children under age 5 whether or not the
child has a birth certificate. If the child does not have a card, a follow-up probing question enquired
whether the child’s birth had ever been registered with the civil authorities. Table 8.2 presents the
percentage of children under age 5 who have a birth certificate or additionally, whose births are registered
with the civil authorities, among the de jure population of children in the households.
Children at Risk | 79