Blog Action Day: Inequality and HIV

Indraveer Chatterjee

The global HIV epidemic is characterised by inequality. To name just two dimensions of this: gender inequality fuels the spread of HIV; and unequal access to treatment results in unnecessarily high rates of illness and death in many countries. 

To mark the Blog Action Day theme of inequality this year, we invited Indraveer Chatterjee, Principal Solicitor at the HIV/AIDS Legal Centre (HALC) to write about how inequality within the epidemic is entrenched by a lack of support for human rights.

This article is based on a presentation Indraveer gave at an AIDS 2014 feedback session at ACON in September.

Beyond Blame – Challenging HIV Criminalisation

Victorian Health Minister David Davis welcomes delegates to
the Beyond Blame preconference.

A promise to review HIV-related criminal laws in Victoria and reporting of amendments to overseas laws set an optimistic tone at the Beyond Blame: Challenging HIV Criminalisation pre-conference at AIDS 2014 - the largest criminalisation preconference held-to-date.

Held in Melbourne on 20 July, it included participants from a diverse array of countries, including the US, Canada, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Sweden, the UK and Australia.

Asia Pacific Community Experiences at AIDS 2014 - VIDEO

AFAO International works closely with partners across Asia and the Pacific with three ongoing projects being undertaken in collaboration with Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health (APCOM), Asia Pacific Council of AIDS Service Organisations (APCASO) and Papua New Guinea network of transgender people and men of diverse sexualities – Kapul Champions.

As part of this work 50 Asia Pacific community representatives were supported to travel to Melbourne for the AIDS 2014 Conference under an Australian Government Initiative called the Australian Award Fellowships Program.

HIV and Mobile Populations: exploring the complexities

A montage that captures the HIV and mobility issues.

It's been clear for some time that the HIV epidemic in Western Australia is different to that in the rest of Australia, with heterosexuals and people from high prevalence countries accounting for a higher proportion of new diagnoses (around 50%) than in other states and territories where the majority of diagnoses (67%) are among gay men.

Research and advocacy on the issue has been bubbling along for a while now, and in July, capitalising on the momentum of the AIDS 2014 conference in Melbourne, key players in WA's HIV response hosted a one day seminar on 29 July - HIV and Mobile Populations - to explore the complexities of the local epidemic and exchange information and ideas about the way forward.