MOSCOW, December 19 (Sputnik) – More than 200 villagers in the Chinese province of Sichuan put their names on a petition circulating the region to banish an HIV-positive boy, age 8, from the community, reports The Washington Times.
The child’s grandfather, who is also his guardian, was among those who signed the petition. A photo from a People Daily's online report shows the boy, Kunkun, watching villagers unanimously vote for his removal in a meeting held in early December.
“He’s a ticking time bomb,” said He Jialing, one of the villagers. “My daughter is around his age and goes to a boarding school now. What happens if she gets bitten while playing with him here at home? That boy is too dangerous.”
According to Press TV, Kunkun contracted the virus from his mother, who left the family in 2006, while his father “lost contact” after the boy’s condition was diagnosed.
Kunkun lives with his 69-year-old grandfather. With no school willing to take him in, he is often found roaming the streets alone, reports CNN.
"No one wants to play with me," the newspaper quoted Kunkun as saying.
According to Press TV people living in poor, rural areas possess the least amount of knowledge regarding HIV/AIDS. Efforts to educate these areas about discrimination often fail.
A total of 497,000 people in China have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS since the country’s first case in 1985.
Township government officials said Kunkun could not be expelled, as he has the same legal rights as other villagers. But late Thursday, authorities failed to establish whether the child was still in the village, reports Press TV.
