Stakeholder views on the relationship between human rights and the law in addressing the HIV epidemic in Papua New Guinea
This study examines the role of human rights in addressing the HIV epidemic, focusing on the impacts of laws that criminalize sex work and male-to-male sex in Papua New Guinea (PNG). These criminal laws create barriers to HIV prevention, testing, and treatment by pushing affected communities underground. The study includes perspectives from various stakeholders on the prospects for legal reform and the negative effects of these laws on communities. It highlights that while some attempts at reform have been made, they have been largely unsuccessful. Stakeholders suggest that effective reform must be contextually tailored to PNG, must involve material support for communities, and should frame law reform around human dignity rather than solely HIV prevention.