Granddad defends backing banishment of HIV boy
Print Edition
THE grandfather of a Chinese HIV-positive boy has defended his support for a petition to banish him from their village, in a case that has sparked soul-searching in China.
Some 200 residents — including the 8-year-old’s own grandfather — signed a petition to expel him from their village in China’s southwestern Sichuan Province, to “protect villagers’ health.”
The case has prompted huge debate on social media and highlighted the stigma attached to HIV in a country where sufferers still face discrimination.
The child’s grandfather and guardian Luo Wenhui told The Beijing News yesterday that when he signed the petition he “hoped that it would make things better,” as the boy would receive improved care elsewhere.
“We are getting too old, and he is getting more naughty... we don’t have the ability to look after him,” Luo said.
“If he didn’t live better outside the village, he could come back.”
The boy, who has been given the pseudonym “Kunkun” by media, was left in his grandfather’s care when both his parents left the impoverished village to seek work.
Kunkun remains under his grandfather’s care in the village for the present, The Beijing News indicated.
Luo, who is aged over 60, told the paper that 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.
Reports said Kunkun was born HIV-positive through transmission from his mother.
He was reportedly called a “time bomb” by villagers worried about being infected, while children shunned him.
His mother reportedly left the family in 2006, while his father “lost contact” after Kunkun’s condition was diagnosed.
Kunkun told The Beijing News that he could not remember what his parents looked like, adding: “Other children don’t play with me.”
Asked if he would like to leave the village, the newspaper reported that the boy shook his head before running off to chase a nearby duck.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
