PANAJI: Former Goa Children’s Rights Commissioner Peter Borges represented India at a global HIV/AIDS conference in Brazil, highlighting the rights and wellbeing of children and adolescents living with HIV. Borges led two major engagements at the Rio de Janeiro meet. He facilitated an interactive workshop on “Protecting Children in HIV Responses: Leadership Against Abuse, Violence, Exploitation and Neglect”, where he stressed that HIV programmes must go beyond treatment to include mental health support, psychosocial care and protection from violence. He also joined a panel on “Ending Stigma and Discrimination and Protecting the Rights of People Living with HIV”, where experts discussed rights-based and community-led approaches.
Drawing on more than two decades of field work, Borges stressed that viral suppression alone is not enough. “Young people living with HIV need supportive families, mental health services, education, protection from violence, opportunities to lead and the freedom to dream. A successful HIV response puts people, and not just medicines, at its centre,” he said.
Currently an assistant professor of Social Work at Goa University, Borges has led initiatives through his Human Touch Foundation, reaching children and families across Goa. His work has also informed programmes of UNAIDS, UNICEF, UNDP and UNFPA in several countries. At the Rio meet, the Foundation showcased interactive installations, Red Ribbon Reimagined and The Pill I Didn’t Take, inviting delegates to reflect on the human stories behind HIV through art and dialogue.
