Tajikistan: Amendments to criminal code introduces criminal liability for beauty salons, hairdressers and other services & strengthened penalties in cases of alleged HIV transmission

Rahmon introduced criminal liability for hairdressers to HIV infection (Google translation from Russian)

In Tajikistan, the liability of doctors, beauty salons, hairdressers and other service enterprises for HIV infection has been strengthened. The President of the Republic, Emomali Rakhmon, has signed amendments to the Criminal and Administrative Codes made and supported by the Parliament, the Khovar agency reports .

Responsibility, according to the law, is provided for those employees who “due to non-compliance with sanitary and hygienic, sanitary and anti-epidemic rules and regulations have become the cause of the HIV / AIDS virus.” The punishment is also tightened for those who are engaged in the import and production of low-quality or counterfeit medicines that do not meet established standards, or sells expired medicines.

Other amendments made to the Criminal Code strengthened the responsibility for intentional infection with the HIV / AIDS virus and human trafficking. For how long the penalties are tightened, it is not reported, it says only that “the full text of the adopted laws will be published in the official press of the country in the coming days.”

The first, which became known to the media, the case of accountability in Tajikistan of a person guilty of mass infection of the disease, occurred in August 2018. A court in the Sharuz district of the Khatlon region sentenced a local woman who engaged in prostitution and thus infected 10 men with HIV, to one year’s imprisonment.

Later began “sanitary” raids on hairdressing and dental clinics. In the Khatlon region, several barber shops, beauty salons and dental clinics were closed, and in the Sughd region, dozens of dental offices and beauty salons closed for violation of sanitary and hygienic standards.

This happened after September 1 at the State Medical University Rakhmon criticized the activities of private dental clinics, expressed concern about the growth of infectious diseases, instructing the Ministry of Health and other specialized departments to “take action”, and also proposed criminal liability for dentists and hairdressers customers are infected with any kind of infection.

Source: Fergana News, January 3, 2019

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Рахмон ввел ответственность для парикмахеров за заражение ВИЧ

В Таджикистане усилена ответственность врачей, работников салонов красоты, парикмахерских и других предприятий сферы обслуживания за заражение ВИЧ. Президент республики Эмомали Рахмон подписал внесенные и поддержанные парламентом поправки в Уголовный и административный кодексы, сообщает агентство «Ховар».

Ответственность, говорится в законе, предусмотрена для тех сотрудников, которые «из-за несоблюдения санитарно-гигиенических, санитарно-противоэпидемических правил и норм стали причиной заражения вирусом ВИЧ/СПИД». Наказание ужесточено также для тех, кто занимается ввозом и производством низкокачественных или поддельных медикаментов, не отвечающих установленным стандартам, или продает просроченные лекарства.

Другими изменениями, внесенными в УК, усилена ответственность за умышленное заражение вирусом ВИЧ/СПИД и торговлю людьми. На какие сроки ужесточены наказания, не сообщается, говорится только, что «полный текст принятых законов в ближайшие дни будет опубликован в официальной прессе страны».

Первый, ставший известным СМИ, случай привлечения к ответственности в Таджикистане лица, виновного в массовом заражении болезнью, произошел в августе 2018 года. Суд Шаартузского района Хатлонской области приговорил местную жительницу, занимавшуюся проституцией и заразившую таким образом ВИЧ-инфекцией 10 мужчин, к одному году лишения свободы.

Позже начались «санитарные» рейды на парикмахерские и стоматологические клиники. В Хатлонской области были закрыты несколько парикмахерских, салонов красоты и стоматологических клиник, а в Согдийской области за нарушение санитарно-гигиенических норм закрыли десятки стоматологических кабинетов и салонов красоты.

Это произошло после того, как 1 сентября в Государственном медуниверситете Рахмон раскритиковал деятельность частных стоматологических клиник, выразил обеспокоенность ростом инфекционных заболеваний, поручив Минздраву и другим профильным ведомствам «принять меры», а также предложил ввести уголовную ответственность для стоматологов и парикмахеров, если по их вине клиенты заражаются какой-либо инфекцией.

Jamaica: Legislation to criminalise wilful or reckless HIV transmission recommended by parliamentary committee

Committee recommends criminal offense for wilful transmission of STIs

KINGSTON − A Joint Select Committee of Parliament has recommended that amendments be made to the Offences Against the Person Act (OAPA), to make it a criminal offence for individuals who wilfully and knowingly transmit sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV.

This is contained in the report of the Joint Select Committee appointed to complete the review of the Sexual Offences Act, the Offences Against the Person Act, the Domestic Violence Act and the Child Care and Protection Act.

The report, that was recently tabled in the House of Representatives by Justice Minister Delroy Chuck, said the Committee acknowledged that there was a deficiency in the law in relation to the deliberate or intentional spreading of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

“We noted that this type of offence existed in other jurisdictions, such as Canada (grievous sexual assault under the Canadian Criminal Code) and the United Kingdom (grievous bodily harm under the United Kingdom (UK) Offences Against the Person Act), and referenced case law, such as Guerrier, 1998 and Mabior, 2014 from Canada,” the report noted.

“We also made reference to the George Flowers case involving a Jamaican who had infected a number of women with HIV while living in Canada, and fled to Jamaica, resulting in an extradition request being made to the Jamaican authorities for him to return to Canada to face charges. [The] Committee agreed that the Act should be amended to make it a criminal offence for someone to wilfully or recklessly infect a partner with any sexual transmissible disease that can inflict serious bodily harm to that partner,” the document adds.

In the meantime, while reviewing a suggestion that a new offence of stalking should be created in the OAPA, the Committee discovered that there was in fact no general, substantive offence of stalking in either the OAPA or the Sexual Offences Act (SOA).

“We felt that this omission should be addressed and, therefore, decided to insert a new, substantive offence of stalking in the OAPA, which should be formulated using the provision in the UK Protection from Harassment Act, 1997 as a guide,” the report said.

The Offences Against the Person Act was last amended in 2010. (CMC)

Published in Nation News

Update of global database on HIV specific travel and residence restrictions shows 49 countries restrict long-term stays and 13 have punitive laws

The Global Database on HIV-specific Travel & Residence Restrictions, a useful online tool regarding the cross-border mobility of people living with HIV/AIDS, was recently updated.

This is a joint collaboration between the International AIDS Society (IAS), the European AIDS Treatment Group (EATG), the German AIDS Federation (DAH) and Positive Council Switzerland.

Below you can find an update by the International AIDS Society, as it was shared with its members:

The global database was updated in July 2018 and shared at the 22nd International AIDS Conference, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

The good news:

  • Taiwan and South Korea have abolished all existing restrictions
  • Singapore has eased its laws and is now allowing short-term stays
  • Canada is making it easier for people living with HIV to obtain a residence permit
  • No country has introduced new legislation or punitive laws affecting people living with HIV
  • New information from several countries indicates they are “free of restrictions” (Belarus, Bosnia Herzegovina, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Rwanda and Turkmenistan)

The bad news:

Entry bars, restrictions for short-term and long-term stays persist, and many countries continue to deport people living with HIV.

Countries with entry bars:

  • Brunei, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Solomon Islands, United Arab Emirates, Yemen. Russia is listed because a factual entry bar applies to multiple entry visa

Countries deporting people living with HIV:

  • Bahrain, Brunei, China, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Oman, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Solomon Islands, United Arab Emirates, Yemen

Thirteen countries have punitive laws affecting stays below 90 days. Forty-nine countries restrict long-term stays of more than 90 days. Laws and practices are unclear in 24 countries, while 143 countries have no restrictions. An overview on all restriction categories is available here.

Published on EATG website on October 9,2018

Russia: Lower House to debate bill, not supported by its Health Committee, that proposes mandatory treatment of people living with HIV

HIV-infected people could be treated forcibly (Google translation, for article in Russian, scroll down).

In the event that HIV-infected people pose a danger to others, they are suggestions to send them to compulsory hospitalization by court decision. The corresponding bill, introduced by the Legislative Assembly of the Altai Territory, will be considered by the State Duma on September 18.

In addition, the document grants the head of the medical organization, in which the HIV-infected citizen is on dispensary records, the right to apply to the court for a mandatory examination and treatment of this person.

The explanatory note to the document states that at present the duty to receive treatment is imputed to patients with tuberculosis and mental illnesses. However, such a requirement does not apply to HIV-infected people.

At the same time, the Government submitted a negative response to the document. “The analysis of foreign experience of normative legal regulation of diagnostics and treatment of HIV-infected persons shows that the legislation of the majority of foreign states does not contain provisions on compulsory placement in a hospital,” the document says.

The State Duma Committee on Health Protection did not support the initiative. “The social danger of tuberculosis is significantly higher than that of HIV infection,” the deputies concluded. Also, the parliamentarians reminded that the examination in medical organizations is carried out voluntarily if there is consent to this procedure by the patient or his legal representative. At the request of a citizen, a voluntary medical examination may be anonymous.

“Adoption of the bill may entail a violation of the rights of HIV-infected persons to anonymity of medical examination,” representatives of the State Duma Health Committee noted.

Published in Parliamentary Newspaper on September 18, 2018

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ВИЧ-инфицированных предложено лечить принудительно

В том случае, если ВИЧ-инфицированные предоставляют опасность для окружающих, их предложено отправлять на принудительную госпитализацию по решению суда.  Соответствующий законопроект, внесённый Заксобранием Алтайского края, Госдума планирует рассмотреть 18 сентября.

Кроме того, документ наделяет руководителя медицинской организации, в которой ВИЧ-инфицированный гражданин состоит на диспансерном учёте, правом обратиться в суд с иском об обязательном обследовании и лечении этого человека.

В пояснительной записке к документу указано, что в настоящее время обязанность проходить лечение вменена больным туберкулёзом и психическими заболеваниями. Однако на ВИЧ-инфицированных подобное требование не распространяется.

В то же время Правительство предоставило на документ отрицательный отзыв. «Анализ зарубежного опыта нормативного правового регулирования вопросов диагностики и лечения ВИЧ-инфицированных свидетельствует о том, что законодательство большинства иностранных государств не содержит положений о принудительном помещении в стационар», — указано в документе.

Не поддержал инициативу и Комитет Госдумы по охране здоровью. «Социальная опасность туберкулеза значительно выше, чем ВИЧ-инфекции», — указано в заключении депутатов. Также парламентарии напомнили, что освидетельствование в медицинских организациях проводится добровольно при наличии согласия на эту процедуру со стороны пациента или  его законного представителя. По желанию гражданина добровольное медицинское освидетельствование может быть анонимным.

«Принятие законопроекта может повлечь нарушение прав ВИЧ-инфицированных лиц на анонимность  медицинского освидетельствования», — отметили представители Комитета Госдумы по охране здоровья.

Argentina: Regional Parliament in Mendoza to vote on law reform including 30 days jail sentence for HIV transmission

Debate in Mendoza to send people who “transmit HIV”to prison (Google translation. For original article in Spanish, scroll below).

The provincial Chamber of Deputies deals with the reform of the Contraventional Code, where a penalty of up to 30 days in jail is assessed.

I am afraid that the police will take me prisoner because of my illness,” says Sergio Ramírez (27). He has HIV and is the national coordinator of the Argentine Network of Positive Young People and Adolescents (RAJAP), an organization with a presence in all the provinces that accompanies people with the AIDS virus.

The young Mendoza refers to the reform of the Contraventional Code that the Chamber of Deputies of Mendoza will vote on tomorrow -with half Senate sanction-, where his article 126 establishes up to 30 days in prison or the payment of a fine of $ 3000 for “the person that transmits a venereal or contagious disease “and an immediate hospitalization to do the medical studies.

The Code of Fouls in force in Mendoza is from 1965. Therefore, the current governor of the province, Alfredo Cornejo , presented in March a new code that, among its modifications, condemns social protesters with 3 days in jail and $ 9500 or 10 days of prison to the “rags” that do not have legal authorization, among others. “Tomorrow we will meet with different organizations from 8 o’clock to ask that the Contraventional Code not be sanctioned,” Ramírez said about the protest called for the start of the parliamentary session.

In addition, the president of the civil association Everyday Women, María Laura Chazarreta, today presented a letter in Deputies demanding the elimination of article 126 because the national AIDS law (23.798) prohibits compulsive HIV tests . 

“To proceed, a complaint is made or a police officer intervenes. Then, it communicates with the judge of faults so that the contravencional process continues, explains Jorge Albarracín, deputy who presides over the commission of Legislation and Constitutional Affairs, to PROFILE . “If an amicable agreement is reached between the parties, the case is filed. But if you can not and the responsibility of the offender is proven, the sanctions begin, “says the radical legislator who, in response to the question of how these faults could be proven in the new Code, says that it will be the responsibility of the judge to carry out the investigation. 

In this sense, Ramírez says that “most of the articles do not need proof and they leave it to the authority that is going to work the contravention, which is the same policeman who asks for bribes to the sex workers of the province.” ” This legislation only serves to criminalize a disease such as HIV, ” says Ramírez, who says that in Mendoza there are more than 4000 people carrying the virus.

Albarracín does not believe that HIV will be criminalized, because “the idea is to apply the regulations to people who, knowing the problem, infect another person”. However, it does not rule out the possibility of police abuses by article 126.

Finally, Albarracín says that “if the opposition gives the quorum , there will be a long session.” “But if we achieve our own quorum, the Code will be approved in a short time,” says the legislator of Cambiemos on the Contraventional Code that, if it receives modifications, will be treated again in the Senate. 

Published in Perfil on September 13, 2018

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Debaten en Mendoza enviar a prisión a personas que “transmitan VIH”

La Cámara de Diputados provincial trata la reforma al Código Contravencial en donde se evalúa una penalización de hasta 30 días en la cárcel.

Tengo miedo que la policía me lleve preso por mi enfermedad”, dice Sergio Ramírez (27) que tiene HIV y es coordinador nacional de la Red Argentina de Jóvenes y Adolescentes Positivos (RAJAP), una organización con presencia en todas las provincias y que acompaña a las personas con el virus del Sida.

El joven mendocino se refiere a la reforma del Código Contravencional que la cámara de Diputados de Mendoza votará mañana –con media sanción del Senado-, donde su artículo 126 establece hasta 30 días de prisión o el pago de una multa de $3000 para “la persona que transmitiere una enfermedad venérea o contagiosa” y una hospitalización inmediata para hacer los estudios médicos.

El Código de Faltas vigente en Mendoza es del año 1965. Por eso, el actual gobernador de la provincia, Alfredo Cornejo, presentó en marzo un nuevo código que, entre sus modificaciones, condena las protestas sociales con 3 días de cárcel y $9500 o 10 días de prisión a los “trapitos” que no tengan autorización legal, entre otras. “Mañana vamos a reunirnos con diferentes organizaciones desde las 8 para pedir que no se sancione el Código Contravencional”, adelanta Ramírez sobre la protesta convocada para el comienzo de la sesión parlamentaria.

Además, la presidenta de la asociación civil Mujeres Cotidianas, María Laura Chazarreta, presentó hoy una carta en Diputados donde exige la eliminación delartículo 126 porque la ley nacional de sida (23.798) prohíbe los exámenes de VIH compulsivos.

“Para proceder se hace una denuncia o interviene un agente de policía. Luego, se comunica con el juez de faltas para que continúe el proceso contravencional”, le explica a PERFIL Jorge Albarracín, diputado que preside la comisión de Legislación y Asuntos Constitucional. “Si se llega a un acuerdo amistoso entre las partes, la causa se archiva. Pero si no se puede y se demuestra la responsabilidad del infractor, empiezan las sanciones”, detalla el legislador radical que, ante la pregunta sobre cómo podrían probarse estas faltas al nuevo Código, dice que será competencia del juez que lleve adelante la investigación. 

En este sentido, Ramírez dice que “la mayoría de los artículos no necesitan pruebas y lo dejan librado a la autoridad que va a labrar la contravención, que es la misma policía que le pide coimas a las trabajadoras sexuales de la provincia”. “Esta legislación solo sirve para criminalizar una enfermedad como el VIH”, sostiene Ramírez que cuenta que en Mendoza hay más de 4000 personas portadoras del virus.

Albarracín no cree que se vaya a criminalizar al VIH, porque “la idea es aplicar la normativa a las personas que, conociendo el problema, contagian a otro”. Sin embargo, no descarta que se produzcan abusos policiales por el artículo 126.

Por último, Albarracín adelanta que “si la oposición da el quorum, habrá una sesión larga”. “Pero si logramos quorum propio, el Código estará aprobado en poco tiempo”, afirma el legislador de Cambiemos sobre el Código Contravencional que, si recibe modificaciones, volverá a ser tratado en el Senado. 

China: Members of National People's Congress call for laws to punish people living with HIV for HIV non-disclosure

NPC Members Call For Criminalization Of HIV Non-Disclosure

Several members of China’s National People’s Congress are advising the nation’s law-makers to make it a legal obligation for HIV-positive people to disclose their status under certain circumstances.

ThePaper.cn reports (in Chinese) that on August 30, in an internal congress meeting about how to prevent and control infectious diseases across the country, some members called for laws to punish people who are HIV positive but refuse to inform others of their illness, because, “when there is a conflict between an individual’s right to privacy and public interest, the latter always comes first.”

Citing a recent report that shows HIV infection rates are on a steady rise in China and in most cases the virus is transmitted through unsafe sex, some attendees expressed profound concerns about the laws being called for.

“Our country’s protection of individual privacy is very comprehensive. But because AIDS can be fatal, for HIV-positive people, there should be obligations and responsibilities for them to disclose their status on certain occasions,” said Liu Yasheng 刘亚声, an NPC member and doctor from Inner Mongolia. To give an example, Liu said that people with HIV should be candid about their illness at medical institutes in order to reduce the risk of transmission through medical practices.

In agreement with Liu, Lei Dongzhu 雷冬竹, dean at a hospital in Hunan Province, said that in the first half of this year, 16 students at a university in Inner Mongolia were diagnosed with HIV, and the majority of them were infected through unprotected sex with someone of same gender. “We put too much emphasis on protecting AID patients’ privacy, but how to draw a fine line between privacy and public interest is something worth consideration,” Lei argued.

Lawmakers have not made clear what they consider to be “certain occasions,” or how severe they think punishments should be.

According to current regulations on AIDS prevention and treatment, HIV-positive people in China are required to disclose their status to sexual partners and doctors. But at the same time, to prevent discrimination against people living with HIV, their carrier status cannot be disclosed without consent. It’s also stipulated that a person who is HIV positive and knowingly infects others with the virus could be found criminally liable, though such prosecutions are very rare.

Last year, a young man in Nantong, Jiangsu Province, filed a lawsuit against a hospital which  gave his then-fiancée a false negative HIV test result during their premarital health check and  demanded a compensation of 120,000 yuan ($18,000). The court ruled in favor of the defendant, saying that was no direct connection between his marriage decision and the mistake of the hospital.

Published in SupChina on September 4, 2018

Nepal: New law introduces jail sentences and fines for HIV and hepatitis transmission

Kathmandu, August 15

The Civil Code Act and Criminal Code Act, which intend to herald sweeping reforms in Nepal’s legal system, will come into force on Friday.

These two codes will govern the conduct of everybody – rich and poor, alike – replacing the 55-year-old General Code.

Lawmaker Radhe Shyam Adhikari, who was involved in drafting the two laws, said they had incorporated modern concepts and principles of laws and had also accepted extra territorial jurisdiction on some issues.

“These laws are as important as the constitution and in some cases even more than the constitution because they touch upon the lives of every citizen,” he added.

The  civil code has incorporated provisions of private intentional law for the first time stating, among other things, that if a divorce between Nepali citizens and between a Nepali citizen and a foreigner takes place in a foreign country, then it can get legal validity in Nepal if the divorce process is based on the laws of that particular country.

It gives a divorced woman the right to use the property she will receive from her former husband even if she remarries, which is not the case under the existing law. The new law also allows a woman the right to use her father’s surname, the surname of her mother or husband or both surnames.

It has provisions relating to usufruct, whereby a person can give his/her property to somebody who can use it as his/her own property but cannot change the substance of the property without the consent of the owner.

The new law stipulates that an owner of an animal will be held responsible if the animal inflicts harm to others.

It gives extraterritorial jurisdiction to courts whereby if a crime is committed against a ship registered in Nepal then the courts can try the accused if s/he is found within Nepal.

It stipulates that the punishment of offenders who are sentenced to jail for one year or less can be suspended if the court deems it appropriate to do so.

The new penal code sets the duration of life term up to 25 years.

There is provision of plea bargain — a theory widely used in the American criminal justice system — as a general rule for the first time in Nepal’s criminal justice system. An accused can get punishment waiver of up to 50 per cent if s/he confesses to her/his crimes and also spills the beans on other offenders or the main offender or the organised group involved in the crime.

The court will conduct hearing on the quantum of punishment within a month after the crime is determined. Penal code also stipulates that aggravating and mitigating circumstances/factors should be taken into account in sentencing.

Punishments

  • Life term for aggravated murder (such as killing somebody after hijacking or exploding a plane), genocide, poisoning death, murder and aggravated rape and genocide
  • Jail sentence not exceeding seven years and a fine not exceeding Rs 70,000 for raising arms against a friendly country of Nepal or issuing a war threat, or making attempts of war or rebellion against a friendly country
  • Jail term not exceeding 10 years and a fine not exceeding Rs 100,000 for transmitting HIV and Hepatitis B to anybody
  • Jail term not exceeding five years and a fine not exceeding Rs 50,000 for producing, selling and exporting adulterated or substandard food and beverage
  • Jail term not exceeding three months and a fine not exceeding Rs 5,000 for scribbling or writing on banknotes
  • Jail term up to three months and a fine up to Rs 5,000 for animal and bird cruelty

Published in the Himalayan Times on August 15, 2018

Russia: Russian Human Rights Council favors criminal punishment over education for HIV denialism, thought to be affecting minors' HIV care

Russian Human Rights Council proposes criminal penalty for HIV denialism

MOSCOW, August 7 (RAPSI) – Russia’s Presidential Council for Human Rights has recommended the government to consider imposition of criminal punishment for propaganda of HIV denialism, a statement released on the advisory body’s website reads.

According to the Human Rights Council, HIV denialism is one of the main problems hindering enhancement of the disease control efficiency and primarily affecting minors.

Other problems in this field include defects in HIV laboratory tests conducted in unspecialized organizations, faults in statistical recording and absence of regulation of a work permit procedure for health care workers in the event of HI virus detection, the statement reads.

Human rights advocates recommended the Health Ministry to adopt corresponding legislation for the solution of these issues.

Published in RAPSI on August 

Fiji: National Substance Abuse Advisory Council training of trainers workshop advises participants that having sex without disclosing is a criminal act

KNOWINGLY SPREADING HIV ‘A CRIME’

Anyone who has the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and knowingly transmits it to a sexual partner without informing them is committing a crime.

If someone is found guilty of the crime in a court of law that person is liable for a fine or a jail term not exceeding two years.

This was highlighted by Northern Reproductive Health Clinic acting senior medical officer Doctor Waisale Turuva during a workshop in Labasa.

The four-day Ministry of Education National Substance Abuse Advisory Council training of trainers’ workshop ended at the Kshatriya Hall in Labasa yesterday.

There were 41 participants, who were teachers from Bua and Macuata provinces.

“We counsel our patients when they go out of the office with medication to inform their partner immediately,” Dr Turuva said.

“So if they are having sex with their mutual partner without their partner knowing then it becomes a criminal act according to the HIV/AIDS Decree 2011.

“There are seven parts in the decree and according to part six ‘the deliberate or attempted infection of a person by a person who knows he or she carries HIV is an offence under this decree.

“It is very important to report about a person committing such an offence and at the same time it is very important that you know it is factual. From this workshop I expect teachers to be well informed and help out people who need help.”

Edited by Epineri Vula

Published in Fiji Sun online on August 3, 2018

Chile: While Chilean parliament considers HIV criminalisation bill, newspaper takes a closer look at the arguments

Penalisation of HIV / AIDS transmission: The countries that condemn and the consequences using the law to criminalise HIV (Google translate, for original article in Spanish, scroll down)

The explosive increase of cases of HIV AIDS in Chile between 2007 and 2017 led the Ministry of Health to activate alarms, implementing a multiministerial action plan that seeks to curb the situation.

According to the figures, in a decade 5,816 people would have been infected in Chile.

The situation has also led to the presentation of a series of proposals in Parliament such as the PPD-PRO bench that seeks to establish compulsory sex education in secondary education.

However, one of the most controversial has to do with penalizing transmission, as stated out by the bill introduced by UDI deputies Juan Antonio Coloma and Sergio Gahona.

The measure seeks to apply a minimum to medium prison sentence to those who “knowingly carry the HIV virus and who is in the period can effectively transmit, transmit or endanger life or health through sexual relations to another person without their knowledge or consent. “

IS IT PENALISED IN THE REST OF THE WORLD? 

Onusida figures state that by 2016, a total of 36.7 million people were living with HIV, while 20.9 million were receiving antiretroviral treatment. Meanwhile, in that same year, 1.8 million people were infected worldwide.

Intentional transmission is the only case in which the Joint United Nations Program on HIV / AIDS (UNAIDS) considers it pertinent to apply criminal legislation to people who transmit HIV infection or expose others to the virus.

The agency’s report, which dates from 2007, states that “in other cases, legislators, prosecutors and judges should reject the application of criminal law.”

In addition, it urges States to avoid legislation specifically on HIV, but to apply general criminal law in cases of intentional transmission. In addition, it calls for a clear definition of “intentional transmission,” and to ensure that “the application of general legislation to the transmission of HIV is consistent with its international obligations in the area of Human Rights.

AND IN CASE OF VIOLATION? 

In the case of rape resulting in HIV infection, UNAIDS argues that the sentence could take into account “the aggressor’s serostatus as a legitimate aggravating circumstance only if the person knew that she was HIV-positive at the time of committing the crime”.

WHAT MEASURES ARE PROPOSED INSTEAD OF PENALIZING TRANSMISSION? 

UNAIDS argues that there are more effective measures that penalize contagion, such as strengthening and enforcing laws against rape – inside and outside of marriage – and other forms of violence against women and children; improve the effectiveness of the criminal justice system to investigate and prosecute crimes against women and children; support the equality and economic independence of women.

INTENTIONALITY OF TRANSMISSION? 

The report argues that there are few cases of intentional transmission of HIV, contrary to what the UDI parliamentarians propose, where they state in the bill that “there are many cases in which a person, out of simple amusement or revenge, decides to infect the virus. AIDS to other people and thereby generate immeasurable harm to people and their families, beyond their personal responsibilities. “

From the perspective of the international organisation, “this type of malicious acts are rare in the context of HIV and the available data show that most people living with HIV and knowing their HIV status take the necessary measures to prevent transmission of the virus to the others “.

They also argue that people who do not have access to voluntary counselling and testing, or because they fear to be tested because of the negative consequences that may result from a positive diagnosis, such as discrimination or violence, in such cases, people can transmit HIV without knowing their HIV status and should not face criminal proceedings. “

DIFFICULTY IN FINDING WHO TRANSMITTED TO WHO 

“It is often difficult to establish who transmitted HIV to whom (especially when both parties have had more than one sexual partner) and may depend on only one testimony, so people accused of HIV transmission may be found guilty of error, “says Onusida.

COUNTRIES WHERE THERE IS PENALISATION 

There is a large number of countries where the transmission of HIV is criminalized, including the United States, Uganda, Spain, Mexico, except San Luis Potosi and Aguascalientes, in all the penal codes of the states is stipulated the crime of danger of contagion.

A ranking of countries where there is criminaliSation of the disease dating from 2008, puts first Malta, then Bermuda and New Zealand.

In dozens of countries, various organizations have tried to stop the criminalization of HIV / AIDS, especially considering that this goes against the fight for the disease, because people fear to make their contagion visible or examined. (http://www.24horas.cl)

Published in Por El Ojo De La Cerradura on May 26, 2018

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¿Penalizar el contagio del VIH/SIDA?: Los países que condenan y las consecuencias de poner la enfermedad bajo la ley

El aumento explosivo de casos de VIH sida en Chile entre 2007 y 2017 llevó al Ministerio de Salud a activar las alarmas, implementando un plan de acción multiministerial que busca poner freno a la situación.

Según las cifras, en una década 5.816 personas se habrían contagiado en Chile.

La situación también ha derivado en la presentación de una serie de propuestas en el Parlamento como la de la bancada PPD-PRO que busca que establezca la educación sexual obligatoria en la enseñanza media.

Sin embargo, uno de los que más ha causado controversia dice relación con penalizar el contagio, tal como señala el proyecto de ley ingresado por los diputados UDI Juan Antonio Coloma y Sergio Gahona.

La medida busca que se aplique una condena de presidio menor en grado mínimo a medio a quienes “a sabiendas de ser portador del virus del VIH y que se encuentra en el período que puede efectivamente transmitirlo, contagiare o pusiere en peligro la vida o salud mediante relaciones sexuales a otra persona sin contar con su conocimiento o anuencia”.

¿ES PENALIZADO EN EL RESTO DEL MUNDO?

Las cifras de Onusida sostienen que al 2016, un total de 36,7 millones de personas viven con VIH, mientras que 20,9 millones se encuentran con tratamiento antirretrovírico. En tanto, en ese mismo año, 1,8 millones de personas se contagiaron a nivel mundial.

La transmisión intencionada es el único caso en que el Programa Conjunto de las Naciones Unidas sobre el VIH Sida (Onusida) considera pertinente aplicar la legislación penal a personas que transmiten la infección por VIH o exponen a otros al virus.

El informe del organismo, que data de 2007, sostiene que “en otros casos, legisladores, fiscales y jueces deberían rechazar la aplicación de derecho penal”.

Además, insta a los Estados a evitar legislar específicamente sobre el VIH, sino que aplicar el derecho penal general en casos de transmisión intencionada. Además, llama a definir claramente la “transmisión intencionada”, y asegurar que “la aplicación de la legislación general a la transmisión del VIH sea coherente con sus obligaciones internacionales en materia de Derechos Humanos.

¿Y EN CASO DE VIOLACIÓN?

En caso de violación con resultado de contagio de VIH, Onusida sostiene que la sentencia pueda tener en cuenta “el estado serológico del agresor como legítimo agravante sólo si la persona sabía que era VIH-Positiva al momento de cometer el delito”.

¿QUÉ MEDIDAS SE PROPONEN EN LUGAR DE PENALIZAR EL CONTAGIO?

Onusida sostiene que existen medidas más efectivas que penalizar el contagio, como fortalecer y hacer cumplir las leyes contra la violación -dentro y fuera del matrimonio- y otras formas de violencia contra las mujeres y niños; mejorar la eficacia del sistema penal para indagar y procesar delitos contra mujeres y niños; apoyar la igualdad e independencia económica de las mujeres.

 

¿INTENCIONALIDAD EN EL CONTAGIO?

El informe sostiene que son escasos los casos de transmisión intencionada de VIH, contrariando lo que proponen los parlamentarios UDI, donde señalan en el proyecto de ley que “no son pocos los casos en que una persona por simple diversión o venganza decide contagiar del virus del SIDA a otras personas y con ello generar un daño inconmensurable a personas y sus familias, más allá de sus responsabilidades personales”.

Desde la mirada del organismo internacional, “este tipo de actos dolosos son raros en el contexto del VIH y los datos disponibles demuestran que la mayor parte de las personas que viven con el VIH y conocen su estado serológico toman las medidas necesarias para prevenir la transmisión del virus a las demás”.

También sostienen que las personas que no tienen acceso a asesoramiento y pruebas voluntarias, “o porque temen someterse a la prueba debido a las consecuencias negativas que puedan derivarse de un diagnóstico positivo, tales como discriminación o violencia, en tales casos, las personas transmiten sin saber el VIH y no deben enfrentarse a un proceso penal”.

DIFICULTAD EN ENCONTRAR A LA PERSONA TRANSMISORA

“A menudo es difícil establecer quién transmite el VIH a quién (especialmente cuando ambas partes han tenido más de una pareja sexual) y tal vez dependa sólo de un testimonio. Por lo tanto, las personas acusadas de transmisión del VIH pueden se declaradas culpables por error”, sostiene Onusida.

PAÍSES DONDE EXISTE PENALIZACIÓN

Existe una gran cantidad de países donde la transmisión del VIH está penalizada, entre los que se encuentra  Estados Unidos, Uganda, España, México, salvo San Luis Potosí y Aguascalientes, en todos los códigos penales de los estados está estipulado el delito de peligro de contagio.

Un ranking de los países donde existe criminalización de la enfermedad que data de 2008, pone en primer lugar a Malta, luego Bermuda y Nueva Zelanda.

En decenas de países, diversas organizaciones han intentado detener la criminalización del VIH/SIDA, especialmente por considerar que esto atenta contra la lucha para la enfermedad, debido a que las personas temen visibilizar su contagio o examinarse. (http://www.24horas.cl)