KPAI urges equal healthcare, education access for children with HIV

hartono · Jul 28, 2026

KPAI urges equal healthcare, education access for children with HIV

Huni Meku Manise Foundation Assists HIV-Affected Children in Ambon via Posyandu Health Services. ANTARA/ Penina F Mayaut.

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) has urged the government to ensure adequate access to medications and inclusive schooling environments for all children living with HIV.

“Children’s rights to health and education must be guaranteed,” KPAI Commissioner Aris Adi Leksono stated on Tuesday.

He emphasized that it is mandatory for the government to provide child-friendly healthcare services and psychosocial support for all children, including those living with HIV.

Leksono made the statement in response to a recent report confirming 522 HIV cases among children in Sidoarjo District, East Java, including preschoolers and kindergarten pupils.

He stressed that KPAI views children affected by HIV as victims who deserve the utmost protection, rather than blame or exclusion.

“The best interests of the child must be the top priority,” the commissioner affirmed.

Highlighting the necessity of confidentiality, he called on the media, schools, and the wider public to refrain from disclosing the identities of children living with HIV to prevent stigmatization and labeling.

KPAI also urged stronger preventive measures, underscoring the importance of routine HIV screening for pregnant women to prevent mother-to-child transmission, expanding public education on reproductive health, and strengthening child protection against sexual violence and drug abuse.

“Caring for children living with HIV requires synergy among health, education, and social affairs offices, the Ministry of Religious Affairs, schools, families, and community organizations to ensure their rights are fully met,” he concluded.

Supporting the stance, Minister of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Arifah Fauzi reaffirmed government support for children living with HIV, emphasizing efforts to safeguard their rights and protect them from discrimination.

“What we need to avoid is the virus, not the people. Children living with HIV must not be alienated or discriminated against, and they must not be deprived of their rights to education, health, parenting, and protection,” she said in a statement on Monday.

Fauzi underscored that children living with HIV have the same rights as all Indonesian citizens to grow, develop, and participate in society.

She added that equal treatment for HIV-positive children is guaranteed under Law No. 17 of 2023 on Health and Law No. 35 of 2014 on Child Protection.