A/HRC/4/110 page 17 consultations undertaken by Plan International with children’s groups in the 65 countries where it works have elicited two major findings. First, many HIV-prevention programmes for children and adolescents are conceived and formulated without the meaningful involvement of children. Child participation in these programmes often takes the form of co-option after the objectives have been set and the programme has been designed. Second, children and adolescents, when given the tools, methodologies, and latitude of action, have the capacity to identify the issues that place them at risk for HIV infection, and to contribute significantly to the formulation of appropriate responses. The organization suggested that the Human Rights Council reaffirm that children and adolescents, as the main interest group for HIV prevention, be consulted at all stages of the development, implementation, and evaluation of programmes and policies for HIV prevention that target young people. 45. HIV-Sweden, the Swedish Association for HIV-Positive People reported on its work with people living with HIV in Sweden, in particular its awareness-raising activities. Among the key issues for the Association are: the right to participation of people living with HIV; supporting syringe-exchange programmes in the country; advocating improvements in the care and treatment of HIV-positive asylum-seekers and undocumented immigrants; support to people living with HIV, who are being prosecuted for spreading the virus; working to oppose travel and residence restrictions for people living with HIV; promoting the right of all to found a family, in particular through promoting increased access to methods that substantially reduce the risks of transfer of HIV for couples where only the man is HIV-positive; and working to overcome repressive features of the Swedish Communicable Disease Act, including the duty of notification and compulsory isolation. IV. CONCLUSIONS 46. The contributions received from various actors illustrate not only the wide range of challenges facing the international community in dealing with the human rights aspects of HIV/AIDS, but also the diversity of the initiatives which have been undertaken with positive results. All contributors stressed that respect for human rights is central to overcoming the disease and its effects. 47. Among the conclusions put forward in the contributions are the following. First, those vulnerable to HIV infection or to human rights violations related to the disease include women, children, youth, commercial sex workers, men who have sex with men, injecting drug users, migrants, and indigenous peoples. There is an urgent need to address the human rights situation of women, in particular violence against women, their sexual and reproductive health and their economic independence. Similarly the contributions indicated that the rights of children remain widely violated in the area of HIV and AIDS, both for children living with the disease (for example in access to treatment and drugs able to be ingested by children) and for those otherwise affected by the disease, above all those orphaned by HIV/AIDS. 48. In dealing with the human rights of groups vulnerable to infection and human rights violations, contributions underlined the need for (and current lack of) statistical data on the impact of the disease, particularly on vulnerable groups, and stressed that this constrains the ability of Governments to protect the rights of individuals. A related point

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