8-year-old boy with HIV ostracized by fellow villagers

Villagers in Shufangya village, Liqiao township, force an AIDS boy's grandfather to sign an agreement on expelling the boy in an effort to "protect villagers' health on December 7. (Photo: People's Daily Online)

(ECNS) – Eight-year-old Kunkun could not fully understand the scene before him: more than 200 fellow villagers, including his own grandfather, signed and left fingerprints on a piece of paper banishing him from the village he was born in.

The scene took place on Dec 7 in Southwest China's Sichuan province. Altogether 203 villagers signed the petition to force the boy out in order to protect the residents.

Kunkun contracted HIV from his mother, but it wasn't until 2011 that the infection was discovered after he was injured in an accident.

Luo Sheng (alias), Kunkun's grandfather, said the boy's mother was already pregnant when she partnered with Luo's eldest son, and no one knows who is the boy's biological father.

Luo's eldest son and Kunkun's mother never got married, and they have been away from their hometown for years to work in other cities.

Luo said his eldest son used to send money home monthly for Kunkun, but after learning of the boy's infection, the money stopped and the "parents" ceased communicating.

"My second son got divorced because his wife was too scared of AIDS, and she took their children with her. If I keep Kunkun, no one would marry my second son. I'm old and cannot restrain him, so I'm willing to sign the petition," Luo said.

Kunkun is known for running wild in the village and playing with others. Now he is shunned completely.

Children of his age are all attending primary school, but even in their spare time they stay away from Kunkun.

"I play by myself," he said.

The local township head told reporters that Kunkun wanted to go to school, but that no one would take him. "If he goes to a school, other students would leave and the parents would protest, so the schools are in a difficult position."

He said the township pays living expenses for Kunkun and his family, and that the boy's treatment is also covered by the government.

Kunkun is a naughty boy, and has been caught stealing. Such behavior is not unusual for a boy his age without parental guidance, but the knowledge of his infection has made his actions intolerable for local residents.

Villagers say they are living in constant fear that their children will be infected by Kunkun. One villager called him a "running ticking bomb."

"We all feel very sorry for Kunkun and know it is not his fault, but villagers are really scared. We hope some organizations can take care of him," said the village secretary.

By the end of 2013 the number of HIV/AIDS patients in China reached 810,000 and the virus had claimed 136,000 lives. Yet there is limited knowledge about AIDS among common citizens, especially those in rural areas. Discrimination and fear based on ignorance is making it harder to combat the disease.

The township authority said it plans to educate residents about AIDS in Kunkun's village. But the damage has already been done.