A long way from there to here: human rights approaches to HIV/AIDS in a local setting – HIV/AIDS Policy & Law Review 10(1)

In this article, Peris Jones and Farhana Zuberi summarize findings from a recently completed research project, the Tswelopele study, in South Africa. The study documented human rights violations in three areas: privacy and disclosure; informed consent and HIV testing; and access to health-care services.The article describes these violations and explores why discrimination still occurs at … Read more

Letter to Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam re: Patent (Amendment) Bill 2005

“We write to you to express our deepest concern that recent amendments to India’s patent legislation will lead to unnecessary suffering and death for millions of people in your country and in many others, particularly in the developing world. We urge you to send the Patent (Amendment) Bill 2005 back to Parliament for reconsideration, so … Read more

Speaking Notes – Testimony to the House of Commons Subcommittee on Solicitation Laws

“This year we will be producing a full length report, provisionally titled: Prostitution under the Canadian Criminal Code: Principles for Law Reform in the Context of HIV/AIDS. We will make the report available to the Subcommittee. Today I will provide a very short summary of selected sections of that report . . . .”

Needle Exchange Programs and the HIV Outbreak among Injection Drug Users in Vancouver, Canada: Addressing Some Common Misperceptions

The use of needle exchange programs (NEPs) has been associated with reductions in HIV infection in a number of settings. However, questions regarding NEP efficacy have persisted, and have been partially fuelled by misinterpretations of an early evaluation of NEP use and HIV prevalence in Vancouver, Canada. In this study, a higher HIV prevalence was … Read more

Letter to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) re: Syringe Exchange

“We are writing to seek your assurance that the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) will remain faithful to its obligation to promote all effective measures to reduce HIV vulnerability among drug users. The enclosed letter, signed by 334 organizations and individuals in 56 countries, attests to the gravity of international concern surrounding an … Read more