The Chinese government has promised to provide medical care and a living allowance for a HIV-positive eight-year-old boy in a village where the other residents wanted him expelled.
Last week about 200 residents, including the boy’s grandfather, signed a petition to expel him from their village in Sichuan province to “protect villagers’ health”.
This led to widespread anger and condemnation.
China’s health ministry said it would help with medical care and also ensure the boy – dubbed Kunkun by the media – got an education, after reports he was having trouble finding a school that would admit him.
The state-run China Daily newspaper also reported the government planned to carry out spot-checks around the country for any other violations of anti-discrimination policies.
Reports said Kunkun was born HIV-positive through transmission from his mother.
The Global Times said the boy’s mother left the family in 2006, while his father “lost contact” after Kunkun’s condition was diagnosed.
The boy was reportedly referred to as a “time bomb” by villagers worried about being infected and local children shunned him.
Kunkun said he could not remember what his parents looked like, adding “other children don’t play with me”.
His grandfather, Luo Wenhui, said he had signed the petition to remove Kunkun because he “hoped that it would make things better”, as he would receive better care elsewhere.
Mr Luo, who is aged over 60, said he “did not have long to live” and that the petition was suggested by a local journalist as a way of drawing attention to his grandson’s plight.
“We are getting too old, and he is getting more naughty … we don’t have the ability to look after him,” Mr Luo said.
“If he didn’t live better outside the village, he could come back.”
Case ‘deeply concerning’, UN says
Many people were quick to take to social media and condemn the villagers who signed the petition.
“It’s terrible that the villagers are undereducated, they should be sent to school too,” said one user on popular social media site Sina Weibo.
Another commentator blamed Kunkun’s parents.
“It’s strange that no one condemns the boy’s parents who are so irresponsible and can be charged [with] abandonment crime in foreign countries,” the user wrote.
The United Nations also weighed in, saying it was “deeply concerned” about the case.
“Stigma and discrimination are our biggest enemies in the fight to end HIV,” the UN said in a statement on Friday.
“But sadly, this week’s reports demonstrate that breaching confidentiality, ignorance and fear continue to have devastating consequences for those living with HIV.”
AFP