With World AIDS Day just days away, over 100 health and human rights organizations are collectively calling on the federal government to take immediate action, in consultation with experts and people living with HIV, to end the overly broad use of the criminal law against people living with HIV.
Highlights of our work in Canada and around the world from April 1, 2017, to March 31, 2018.
November 22, 2018 – We, the undersigned, believe that Canada must commit to reducing the harms caused by its current drug laws. In response to Health Canada’s request for input on how to strengthen the federal government’s approach to substance use issues through the Canadian Drugs and Substances Strategy (CDSS), our organizations are calling upon … Read more
CAVE HILL, November 14, 2018 — One year after the groundbreaking “Intimate Conviction” conference, which examined the role of the church in establishing and maintaining anti-gay laws in Commonwealth countries, an edited volume of some of the conference presentations is now available. The volume will serve as an important tool to assist in the repeal … Read more
November 9, 2018 — “After a nearly two-year delay, the constitutional challenge to Jamaica’s anti-sodomy law looks set to finally restart. The case was effectively suspended while the Jamaican Supreme Court waited for the Court of Appeal to decide whether the Public Defender could join the matter as an interested party. In a heavily criticized … Read more
November 5, 2018 It’s past time for action by the federal government. On World AIDS Day 2016, the federal Justice Minister declared that Canada must address the “overcriminalization of HIV” that contributes to HIV stigma and undermines public health. She also committed to working with the provinces, affected communities and medical professionals to this end. … Read more
October 31, 2018 Dear Minister Elliott: We write to you as organizations concerned about the health and welfare of some of the most vulnerable Ontarians, in response to the October 22 announcement that your government plans to replace supervised consumption sites (SCS) and low-barrier overdose prevention sites (OPS) with “Consumption and Treatment Services.”
“Dear Minister: Re: Commitment to take action to end “overcriminalization of HIV” in Canada? I write further to our letter of August 3rd and following recent discussions with representatives of your office and of your department regarding measures your government could take to follow through on your previously stated concern about the overly broad use … Read more
October 17, 2018 — Today marks an important step forward in Canada’s drug policy, as the legal regulation of cannabis for non-medical purposes takes effect. The Legal Network welcomes this important development toward sensible drug policy, but more must be done to uphold the health and human rights of people who use drugs in this … Read more
KINGSTON, Jamaica October 4, 2018 — Laws that criminalize consensual same-sex intimacy exist in a majority of Commonwealth countries, an unwelcome holdover from colonization — despite the fact that such laws have been long since repealed in the United Kingdom. But repealing these laws has proven difficult in some countries as they continue to be … Read more