News curated from other sources

AN IMPORTANT, MODEST ADVANCE ON WORLD AIDS DAY Federal and Ontario governments take first steps toward limiting unjust HIV criminalization, but must work with community and experts to go further The following statement is issued jointly by the Canadian HIV/AIDS…

Ontario to curb prosecution of HIV non-disclosure cases Crown attorneys will not prosecute cases of HIV-positive people who do not disclose they have HIV if they have had a “suppressed” viral load, or amount of HIV, in their blood for…

Government releases Report on the Criminality of HIV non-disclosure News Release From Department of Justice Canada December 1, 2017 – Ottawa, ON – Department of Justice Canada The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that our criminal justice system protects…

‘Stop HIV shaming’: When status is not the story Here are guidelines for government authorities and media groups in handling cases and stories involving persons living with HIV MANILA, Philippines – When agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) arrested…

HIV Panic in Florida Is Turning Into a Health Catastrophe The spread of HIV in Florida has outpaced any other state in the union, yet draconian laws turn getting tested into a risky legal gamble. Now a new initiative launched by…

Should we punish the sick? Would you consider calling the police if a coworker showed up at work one day with the flu? As absurd as that may sound, recent developments suggest that the notion of punishing people who are…

Police accused of exaggerating risks of HIV to introduce spit guards Force plans to issue guards to officers from January, saying people infected with blood-borne viruses use spitting as a weapon A police force has been accused of fear mongering…

MEDIA RELEASE: Civil society statement on the criminalisation of HIV at the 61st Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights 6 November 2017 BANJUL, The Gambia—Civil society organisations working on HIV and human rights, delivered a…

Science battles politics in growing state-by-state debate over HIV felony charges California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill last month making California the fourth state to revise criminal laws regarding HIV exposure. Medical studies say there is effectively no risk…

In Mexico 30 states criminalize HIV as “a crime of exposure to infection”  (Google translation. For article in Spanish, please scroll down) The Network against the Criminalisation of HIV, a coalition formed by 29 associations in favour of human rights in…

Malawi rights bodies defy criminalising the transmission of HIV:  Bill deeply flawed Stakeholders have described the new HIV and AIDS Bill as ‘a bad law’ and a disaster to happen as it is discriminatory and will impede the fight against AIDS. The bill includes…

Introducing HIV Criminalization Beyond Non-Disclosure: Advocacy Toolkits on Intersections with Sex Work and Syringe Use  Webinar: Wednesday, November 15, 3:30-4:30 pm ET Join The Center for HIV Law and Policy, The National LGBTQ Taskforce, and Reframe Health and Justice Consulting for this webinar to learn about…

Endorse the CCRHC Consensus Statement: End Unjust Prosecutions for HIV Non-disclosure Posted on October 27, 2017 We find ourselves at a crucial moment in our efforts to reform discriminatory and unjust laws and practices that criminalize people living with HIV. The…

A network of organisations fights against HIV criminalisation law in Mexico Google translation (see below for original article in Spanish) Mexico, Oct 29 (EFE) .- Twenty NGOs have set up the Network against HIV Criminalization after several Mexican sates try to…

Ohio Supreme Court Rules to Uphold Outdated and Unscientific HIV Criminalization Policies COLUMBUS, OH—Today the Ohio Supreme Court ruled to continue the criminalization of individuals living with HIV. The ACLU of Ohio, The Center for HIV Law and Policy (“CHLP”),…

They will reform Penal Code to protect people with HIV Lawmakers and civil organizations agree to push for changes to article 113 Saturday, October 21, 2017 Considering that article 113 of the Criminal Code of Quintana Roo may violate the…

Stabbed, Spat At, Punched: Emergency Workers Tell HuffPost UK Why New Law Is Needed To Protect Them: Now PM backs Bill to protect 999 staff from assault A new law to protect emergency workers from assaults has won the personal…