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The Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network applauds Amnesty International’s “State Obligations to Respect, Protect and Fulfil the Human Rights of Sex Workers,” released today, which calls for the removal of all laws and policies that make sex work a criminal offence, including those that prohibit selling, buying or facilitating sex work or living off its proceeds.

May 17, 2016 The Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network applauds the federal government’s introduction today of Bill C-16, which will update the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code to recognize the rights of transgender people. As Canada’s leading organization working on human rights issues related to HIV, we have previously called for federal legislative … Read more

One hundred Canadian civil society organizations are calling on the Canadian federal government to champion progressive and evidence-based drug policy positions at this week’s world forum on drugs. Spearheaded by the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network and the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition (CDPC), this civil society groundswell is asking federal Health Minister Dr. Jane Philpott to … Read more

As a coalition of interveners in the Supreme Court of Canada case, R. v. Lloyd, we applaud the Court for recognizing that a mandatory minimum sentence (MMS) for certain drug offences is not only harsh and damaging, but also unconstitutional. We hope that this decision is one more step towards ending Canada’s harmful, punitive approach … Read more

TORONTO, February 3, 2016 — A research study has concluded that prison-based needle and syringe programs (PNSPs), which provide sterile injection equipment to prisoners who inject drugs and help prevent the spread of HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV), are indisputably feasible in Canada and should be implemented in Canadian prisons without delay. Report: On … Read more

February 1, 2016 — Today the Jamaican Court of Appeal will begin hearing a landmark case brought forward by Jamaican attorney and human rights activist, Maurice Tomlinson. The case is challenging national television stations that refused to air a “tolerance ad” promoting respect for the human rights of LGBTI people. The original hearing set for July 22–24, 2015, … Read more

Last Thursday, international Human Rights Day (December 10), senior policy analyst Maurice Tomlinson publicly launched a legal challenge to Jamaica’s anti-sodomy law, arguing that it violates the constitutional rights of LGBTI people. It has made news across the country — including an endorsement from the Jamaica Gleaner, the country’s most influential newspaper — and around the world, with stories appearing in The New … Read more

TORONTO, December 9, 2015 — Jamaican human rights activist Maurice Tomlinson has filed a claim in the Supreme Court of Judicature, challenging the constitutionality of Jamaica’s laws criminalizing consensual sex between men. The legal challenge — which will be announced at a press conference tomorrow in Kingston, Jamaica — is being supported by the Canadian … Read more

Toronto, November 30, 2015 — In a briefing paper released to parliamentarians in advance of World AIDS Day (December 1), the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network is calling on the new federal government to take decisive steps to address the HIV epidemic, both in Canada and abroad. Laying out five key areas and recommending associated actions, … Read more

TORONTO, October 13, 2015 — Three major federal political parties have come out in support of reforming Canadian drug policy. If elected, they would address Canada’s “drug problem” through sound evidence-based measures that reduce harm and protect public safety, rather than the misinformed and punitive approach that currently dominates the country’s policy.