OSI Welcomes UN Secretary-General's Comments on HIV Prevention and Treatment for Stigmatized Groups

The Open Society Institute welcomed the UN Secretary-General's recent call for increased health and human rights protections for people living with HIV, sex workers, men who have sex with men, and young people who inject drugs. “I look to Asian Governments to amend outdated laws criminalizing the most vulnerable sections of society, and take all the measures needed to ensure they live in dignity,” said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on March 26 in response to a report by the Commission on AIDS in Asia.

The report not only calls for the decriminalization of sex work, but counsels governments and other actors to, “Avoid programmes that accentuate AIDS-related stigma and can be counterproductive. Such programmes may include ‘crack-downs’ on red-light areas and arrest of sex workers.” It also highlights the great cost-effectiveness of HIV prevention services for sex workers.

Just as with sex workers, government officials and law enforcement routinely obstruct harm reduction measures that are proven to reduce HIV risk behaviors among injection drug users. This is particularly troubling given that injection drug use accounts for the largest share of HIV infections in China, Russia, Ukraine, Central Asia, and much of Southeast Asia. Less than two percent of injection drug users in these countries have access to methadone or buprenorphine, even though these drug treatment medicines are on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines.

In a letter sent today, OSI Public Health Program Director Françoise Girard welcomed the Secretary General’s comments and encouraged him to review the work of UN agencies that may frustrate HIV prevention for stigmatized groups. The International Narcotics Control Board, an independent UN agency, has focused solely on drug control at the expense of public health, and has urged national governments to do the same. “The Board’s obstruction of effective harm reduction programs, including needle exchange and medication-assisted treatment, stands in stark contrast to the UN’s commitment to the human rights of people who use drugs and others vulnerable to HIV,” said OSI’s Girard.

Girard also pointed to the global Guidance Note on HIV and Sex Work, drafted by UNAIDS and UNFPA, which emphasizes reducing the number of women engaged in sex work. “We believe the mission of UNAIDS should be to focus on reducing HIV transmission, which requires protection of the rights of sex workers and their access to HIV services, rather than the ‘rehabilitation’ of sex workers,” added Girard.