By Mandeep Dhaliwal. Aug. 11, 2022
One hundred thirty-four. That’s the number of countries that currently criminalize or prosecute people based on general criminal laws of HIV transmission, non-disclosure, or exposure.
Not only is this contrary to science on the health and human rights benefits of decriminalization, but it stands in stark contrast to the commitments enshrined in the 2021 Political Declaration to ends AIDS by 2030, which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly with 165 countries voting in favor. Worse still is that criminalizing HIV is actively harmful: it costs lives and wastes money.
Countries that criminalize people with HIV have lower rates of HIV treatment and viral suppression compared to those with non-discriminatory legal frameworks. For example, evidence shows that decriminalizing sex work would avert at least one-third of new HIV infections among female sex workers.
Sex workers, along with men who have sex with men, transgender people, people who inject drugs and their sexual partners, and others represent key populations at higher risk of acquiring HIV. Together, they bear the brunt of the HIV pandemic: 70% of new HIV cases in 2021 occurred among these populations, accounting for more than half of all new cases in sub-Saharan Africa for the first time
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