National Defense Authorization Act of 2014 a positive step towards HIV...

On December 26, 2013 the President of the United States Barack Obama signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act of 2014 (NDAA). The Act contains important provisions for HIV criminalization reform advocates and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities.

Specifically, the Act contains language from an amendment co-sponsored by Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) – H.R. 1843, the REPEAL HIV Discrimination Action. According to a statement issued by Congresswoman Barbara Lee, “This amendment requires a report to Congress on the use of the Uniform Code of Military Justice regarding military service members living with or at risk of contracting HIV. This report is essential to understanding how we can modernize discriminatory and outdated laws and practices related to HIV.”

Statement on the Indian Supreme Court decision on Section 377

On 11 December 2013, the Supreme Court of India overruled the 4-year old decision of the Delhi High Court, which had struck down India’s anti-sodomy law, Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. As former members of the Global Commission on HIV and the Law, we write to convey our great dismay at this regressive step taken to dismantle a beacon of human rights articulation that was the Delhi High Court judgment.

Government, academia and civil society representatives meet in Beijing to...

Representatives from government, academia and community based organisations met in Beijing this week for a consultation on HIV and the law. The meeting, organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), China’s Renmin University, and the China Red Ribbon Beijing Forum on HIV and Rights, looked at the positive and negative impacts of existing laws on China’s response to HIV. Particular focus was given to populations most affected by HIV, including men who have sex with men, sex workers and people who inject drugs. The meeting was held at China’s Renmin University, and with support from UNAIDS, the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS.

CONAVIHSIDA and UNDP present the results from the National Dialogue in...

Santo Domingo.— El Consejo Nacional para el VIH y el Sida (CONAVIHSIDA) y el Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (PNUD) presentaron el Informe del Diálogo Nacional sobre VIH y Derechos, que contiene testimonios de violación a los derechos de las personas que viven con VIH en la República Dominicana.