The HIV epidemic is most widespread among younger people in Ukraine. Official statistics demonstrate that almost 50 per cent of new cases are among those aged 20-29. The spread of HIV is driven by injecting drug use (IDU) and to a lesser but growing extent by unsafe sex among young people. Ukraine now stands on the threshold of a nationwide HIV/AIDS epidemic: it is estimated that 360,000 people are living with HIV, while official statistics only indicate a fraction of that number with a total of 74,856 HIV positive people registered. Some 80 per cent of those infected are under the age of 30. HIV infections remain most prevalent among IDUs, ranging from 20 to 60 percent depending on location, with the highest numbers concentrated in the southern and eastern cities of the country. The number of women infected with HIV through sexual transmission is growing. In 2004, approximately 40 percent of infected people were women, the majority of whom are at the height of their reproductive years, compared with 11 per cent in 1997. As many as 60 per cent of HIV positive women are under 25 years of age. The number of HIV infected pregnant women has increased five-fold in the last four years, resulting in increased numbers of children at risk of being born with the virus. Most HIV-positive children are born into socially disadvantaged younger families with 85 percent of their parents under 30 years of age.

As of January 1, 2005, 8,325 children were born to HIV positive mothers, of them 2,604 are HIV negative, approximately 3,000 are under 18 months old and living under medical supervision waiting for confirmation of their HIV status. 2,720 are HIV positive, 150 have already died. Eighty per cent of HIV positive children are living with their families while 20 per cent are abandoned to the State. There is severe lack of care for HIV positive children and families affected by HIV/AIDS. There are no national standards of care and psychosocial support of HIV affected children, including orphans.

Children born to HIV-infected women are staying either at state orphanages (Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, Cherkasy, Donetska oblasts), or, if no specialized groups for these children are established at the orphanages, they live in the departments of infectious diseases at the hospitals. Only a small percentage lives with their families. The majority of state children’s institutions are not ready to accept HIV-positive children and provide them with necessary medical care. Institutions’ personnel feel lack of knowledge about HIV/AIDS.

Insufficient knowledge about HIV/AIDS produces fear, stigmatization of HIV positive children and, as a result, leads to the infringement of their rights. Because of the prejudiced attitude, it is extremely difficult to place these children in kindergartens, schools or other educational institutions. Inadequate legislation aggravates the situation. In addition, there exists no mechanism for providing appropriate care and support to children in HIV affected families who lose both parents to HIV/AIDS.

To tackle the dangers posed by HIV-AIDS epidemic to the nation, Ukrainian Parliament and Government developed a strategy to fight HIV/AIDS. The strategy is a priority for state’s policy in the area of health care and social development. In March of 2004 the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved the Government’s Strategy directed towards prevention of HIV/AIDS spread and the National Program on HIV prevention, treatment and support to HIV-infected and people living with AIDS for 2004-2008. Besides, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine developed a draft of the Comprehensive measures for prevention of Mother-to-child transmission of HIV and medical and social support to children born to HIV-infected mothers for 2004-2011. One of the measures mentioned in the document is implementation of alternative family care models for HIV-affected children (daycare centers, foster families, temporary families, family-type homes, etc.)