Publication Language: English

Letter to Hon. Mark Golding, Jamaica’s Minister of Justice re: Review of Sexual Offences Act

“We are deeply concerned about the continued criminalization of consensual sexual relationships between adult men in Jamaica and the stigmatization, marginalization and violence that it helps perpetuate. Our concern has intensified in recent years in light of a seeming surge in virulent expressions of hatred, up to and including mob assaults, torture and murder, directed … Read more

School’s back — and, unfortunately, so is Bill C-36

From September 9 to 11, testimony on Bill C-36 (the so- called Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act) was heard by the Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs. Stéphanie Claivaz-Loranger, Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network Policy Analyst, and network member Kara Gillies presented to the Committee, voicing strong opposition to the bill as it will greatly affect the … Read more

Brief to the Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs regarding Bill C-36, the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act

This brief compares the Criminal Code provisions proposed by Bill C-36 against the Criminal Code provisions struck down by the Supreme Court of Canada in R v. Bedford. It explains how the new law, if enacted, will replicate the effects of the old law on the security of sex workers and, as such, reproduce the harms the Supreme Court of … Read more

Stay informed: The Legal Network’s new resources on criminalization of HIV non-disclosure

Blog by Cécile Kazatchkine, Senior Policy Analyst The overly broad criminalization of HIV is not a uniquely Canadian problem. In many countries around the world, a person living with HIV can be prosecuted, convicted and sent to prison for not disclosing their status, exposing someone to HIV or transmitting the virus. The situation in Canada is particularly infuriating at this juncture … Read more

Sex, criminal law and HIV non-disclosure (video)

This short, two-part video series addresses the urgent, pressing legal issue of criminalization of HIV non-disclosure in Canada, what is wrong with the current approach and why the Legal Network continues to work to change these laws and the way they are enforced. Watch them below, or on the Legal Network’s YouTube channel.