Child protection,adolescence and paediatric HIV health-care practices: The enforcement of the passage from adolescence to adulthood

Abstract

This article presents a discussion about the clinical referral of a paediatric HIV patient to outside child protection services as an attempt to make her adhere to antiretroviral medicine. It draws on the difficult case of Andrea, observed at a paediatric HIV clinic. I argue that child protection enforces the line between adolescence and adulthood by intervening into patient lives under the rationale that child patients are vulnerable and not capable of making informed life choices. Child protection contradicts clinical policies that attempt to make patients responsible adults before leaving the paediatric ward by alienating adolescents towards services.

Keywords

Child protection HIV adolescence transition paediatrics

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