Growing up in a world with AIDS: Social advantages of having AIDS in Brazil

Abstract

Could HIV/AIDS become a positive factor for a child's life? This contradiction is explored in this paper based on anthropological fieldwork and research in Brazil. I used participant observation and informal interviewing both with children living with HIV/AIDS and uninfected street children to obtain qualitative data. Brazil is known as a country leader in social responses towards the AIDS epidemic. Not only has access to antiretroviral medications been assured, but also a series of help networks guarantee that the human rights of HIV-infected people be respected. Children and adolescents benefit equally from these social gains. As such, many children born to HIV-positive women have reached adolescence and have 'normal' lives. This article explores the life experiences of children and adolescents infected by HIV and compares them to the life experiences of street children. Even though the AIDS epidemic is linked to death, infected children and adolescents dream about their lives and futures. Contradictorily, street children, who have not acquired the virus and are considered healthy from a biological stand point, have no prospective plans and answer without hope to questions about the future.