Reshma, a class XI-student, went through the worst trauma of being raped, losing a baby and finding out she was HIV positive. But as if that was not enough, she had to face more humiliation and pain when her school in Meerut refused to let her carry on her education. Shattered, she tried to commit suicide.

"If I am denied my right to education, what is the point in living? I want to end my life," she wrote.

According to a study by Naz Foundation and Lawyers Collective working for the rehabilitation of victims of HIV/AIDS, there are thousands of students like Reshma in India who are suffering silently.

The NGO found that children living with or affected by HIV/AIDS are increasingly being denied admission, suspended, expelled and segregated in class room, they are being publicly ridiculed by school authorities.

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Said senior lawyer Anand Grover, who is a member of the Naz Foundation: "In most of the cases, schools are forced to expel students due to pressure from parents of other children, who fear that their children might contract the condition."

But now, there is some hope for such children as the Supreme Court on Monday promised to lay down guidelines under the Right to Education Act to protect such students.

But a bench of Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice D Y Chandrachud cautioned the NGOs: "You must keep in mind that on one hand is the right to education. But you must also appreciate various segments of the society. Some society may be very traditionalist. We have to do a balancing act. When we lay down parameters, we shall keep in mind we shall not harm other children just because they are not aware."

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According to the latest report of National Aids Control Organisation (NACO), the total number of people living with HIV in India is estimated at around 30.9 lakh and children less than 15 years of age account for 2.45 lakh.

According to UNICEF India, there are 2,20,000 children infected by HIV/AIDS in India. It is approximated that every year 55,000 to 60,000 children are born to mothers who are HIV positive. Thirty per cent of these children are likely to be infected themselves. The NGOs told the court that the breach of confidentiality regarding children's HIV-positive status was the beginning of their mistreatment.

Highlighting the severity of the situation, the plea pointed out that there have been incidents where HIV/AIDSafflicted students were made to clean toilets and classrooms.

"Students are being denied admission, suspended and even expelled from schools if they or their parents or guardians are HIV-positive. They are publicly ridiculed by school authorities and humiliated to the extent that they are segregated from other children in schools and have been made to clean toilets and classrooms," the PIL states.

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"Moreover, the confidentiality of the HIV-positive status of the children has been routinely breached, a violation of their right to privacy and the rampant acts of stigmatisation that have followed have undermined their human dignity," it added.

"Education can also give children affected with HIV a better understanding of HIV and equip them with lifeskills to cope with the challenges it brings. In this context, the rising cases of denial of education to HIV affected children are a matter of grave concern. If this discrimination continues, then a large number of children will be excluded from schools and mainstream society and be pushed to languish at the margins of our society," Grover told the court.

The PIL sought the following prayers. No child affected by affected by HIV/AIDS be suspended or expelled from any educational institution or segregated in the class, Centre be asked to frame and notify comprehensive guidelines under Section 35(1) of the RTE Act 2009, pertaining to children living with and affected by HIV/AIDS in schools, covering issues of right to education without any discrimination and confidentiality of their HIV-positive status.

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