Worldwide efforts to combat HIV transmission and get treatment to people living with the virus are at risk of going backwards because of the international economic crisis warns Labour MP Charles Chauvel, who is a member of the United Nations Global Commission on HIV and the Law. At an HIV-focused public meeting last night to introduce the Rt Hon Helen Clark, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Michel Sidibe, Executive Director of the Joint United Nations, Chauvel spoke of his own work on the UN commission. He said cutbacks by contributors to the fund were already forcing a refocus on countries with highest HIV prevalence, meaning some countries would not get the support they need and the tremendous gains in global HIV prevention and treatment could be lost. Chauvel also spoke of the work of the Global Commission on HIV and the Law, giving a preview of the commission’s upcoming report. He said the main objective of the Commission was to look at how the law could be used as a positive force for combating HIV, rather than being oppressive and punitive. In that regard, he said, New Zealand was a world leader with its measures to decriminalise homosexual behaviour, sex work, and bringing in needle exchange systems for intravenous drug users. “There is a great need, still, for many countries to be helped past a punitive and moral, religious or conservative approach to the law so that they can deal with HIV as purely a health issue. Our own experience shows that when you remove laws that punish at risk groups of people and drive them underground, you can deal with HIV far more effectively.” Chauvel said the UN Global Commission on HIV and the Law was concentrating on several key areas: - Using the law to remove barriers to treatment, especially in the area of availability of affordable, generic drugs. He said this meant overcoming opposition from developed countries and pharmaceutical countries. - Empowering women and women’s equality so women had more control over what happened to their own bodies, better access to education, health and treatment, and the ability to insist on the adoption of safe sex practices. - Empowering youth so that they were able to keep themselves safe. - And empowering and reaching out to at risk populations such as men who have sex with men, intravenous drug users and sex workers. On the last point, Chauvel said there was much to do. “Persuading developing and Muslim countries, for example, to look past their cultural and religious objections (to such things as homosexuality, equal rights for women and sex work) to act on what is best for health of the whole community is continuing to be very hard,” he said.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Tuesday, 6th March 2012 - 7:16pm