Judging the epidemic has been prepared as a resource to help judges, magistrates, arbitrators and other judicial officers throughout the world adjudicate cases involving HIV-related issues. This handbook may also be used by judicial trainers and ministries of justice to deliver educational programmes to judges and magistrates on legal issues related to HIV and human rights. It may also be relevant to advocates, lawyers and other legal practitioners, and civil society organisations (including people living with HIV) that seek to gain specific understanding of HIV-related legal issues and the potential role of the courts in advancing human rights in the context of the epidemic. Based on international legal and human rights standards, the handbook contains examples of decided cases from different jurisdictions, good-practice advice and judicial rulings on HIV-related issues.
UNAIDS releases handbook to enhance the capacity of the judiciary to address HIV-related legal and human rights issues
News curated from other sources

US: Lawmakers divided as New York revisits HIV criminalisation
HIV decriminalization bill to wait another year
June 7, 2026

USA: Louisiana narrows HIV exposure law after years of advocacy
Louisiana enacts significant reform of HIV exposure law
June 3, 2026

Cyprus: Draft law could end HIV criminalisation in Cyprus
Science over stigma: Inside the push to decriminalise HIV transmission in Cyprus
May 31, 2026

Senegal: Lawyers challenge phone searches and lack of legal counsel in LGBTQ+ cases
Senegal’s anti-homosexuality law: violations of defendants’ rights are causing concern among lawyers and NGOs
May 19, 2026
News by the HIV Justice Network

2025 in review: more reported cases, uneven reform
January 7, 2026



