Reading List

HIV Media Guidance

These guidelines are intended to assist reporters, journalists, and the media in creating fair and ethical stories about people living with HIV and HIV policy, prevention and treatment. It is critical that the media uphold the highest standards for fair and ethical journalism when covering HIV.

Reporters covering HIV and related topics have a duty to the public to fully understand the current landscape and accurately cover it. Public awareness and education are important factors in reducing the transmission of HIV and shaping public policy. Studies show that media coverage of HIV often contributes to increased stigma.

The Impact of Criminalisation on Sex Workers’ Vulnerability to HIV and Violence

This policy brief examines the impact of laws that criminalise sex work, informed by NSWP members’ submissions to an e-consultation. It examines the impact of criminalisation at three distinct phases: the surveillance and policing of sex workers prior to arrest; arrest and formal involvement of the criminal justice system; and release and return to the community. The paper covers various areas of law and law enforcement practices that disproportionately impact sex workers, including immigration laws, policing of public spaces, anti-LGBTQ laws, HIV criminalisation and religious codes.

HIV Criminalization in the United States: A Sourcebook on State and Federal HIV Criminal Law and Practice, CHLP (updated January 2024)

"This resource for lawyers and community advocates outlines punitive laws, policies, and cases affecting people living with HIV (PLHIV) and other communicable diseases in all 50 states, the military, federal prisons, and U.S. territories. This Third Edition of the Sourcebook was originally published in 2017 and was updated in January 2024." CHLP

«СПИДоносец, сколько человек заразила?»

Интервью с женщиной, живущей с ВИЧ, участницей программы заместительной поддерживающей терапии, пострадавшей от криминализации ВИЧ в Таджикистане. Узнайте, как на практике используется статья о постановке в угрозу инфицирования ВИЧ, как женщин с ВИЧ могут забрать в тюрьму просто со свадьбы, как в местах несвободы люди могут остаться без жизненно важного лечения и как неправительственные организации, активисты и активистки помогают людям, пострадавшим от криминализации ВИЧ.

Community Insights in Phylogenetic HIV Research: The CIPHR Project Protocol

Protocol for engaging community activists living in Nairobi, Kenya in a knowledge exchange process: Drawing upon a community-based participatory approach, the CIPHR project will (1) explore the possibilities and limitations of HIV molecular epidemiology for key population programmes, (2) pilot a community-based HIV molecular study, and (3) co-develop policy guidelines on conducting ethically safe HIV molecular epidemiology. Critical dialogue with activist communities will offer insight into the potential uses and abuses of using such information to sharpen HIV prevention programmes. The outcome of this process holds importance to the development of policy frameworks that will guide the next generation of the global response.

Factsheet Uzbekistan 2022

The Republic of Uzbekistan has repeatedly received recommendations from the treaty bodies to amend the Criminal Code and repeal both Articles 113 and 120 as such that lead to systematic violations. The Republic of Uzbekistan systematically ignores all such comments and recommendations, despite having committed to comply with international regulations. 

This factsheet summarises violations from international regulations and recommendations from the treaty bodies.

Attitudes of infectious disease doctors and epidemiologists at AIDS centres towards the criminalization of HIV in the Russian Federation

Survey Conducted to examine the attitudes of infectious disease specialists and epidemiologists at AIDS Centres towards the criminalisation of HIV in Russia.

Alternative links
Russian

The Threat Lives On: How to Exclude Expectant Mothers from Prosecution for Mere Exposure of HIV to their Fetuses and Infants (2015)

This article articulates how the threat of prosecution of mothers living with HIV who expose or transfer the virus to their foetuses or newborn will discourage and scare women away from seeking proper medical treatment instead of encouraging HIV treatment and prevention. It also explores how HIV-specific criminal transmission laws in the United States could hamper and stifle the progress in prevention and treatment of vertical transmission. It concludes by proposing a model for change in addressing these HIV-specific criminal transmission statutes.

Alternative links
Traduction française automatisée

Breastfeeding with HIV: An Evidence-Based Case for New Policy (2019)

A review of the benefits and risks of breastfeeding for mothers living with HIV, and recommendations that the United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) include breastfeeding as an option for people living with HIV on suppressive antiretroviral therapy who maintain an undetectable viral load.

A Litigation Guide on Crimes of Sex Working and Homosexuality

This an English Summary of the book “A Litigation Guide on Crimes of Sex Working and Homosexuality (Prostitution and Debauchery) “. The book aims to provide a litigation guide and a legal overview of principles and procedures to legal advocates and whoever wishes to know more about “prostitution” or “debauchery” crimes under Egyptian law.

Криминализация ВИЧ-инфекции — Серия информационных бюллетеней по правам человека

Серия информационных бюллетеней по правам человека: Криминализация ВИЧ-инфекцииВИЧ и люди, употребляющие наркотикиВИЧ, геи и другие мужчины, практикующие секс с мужчинамиВИЧ, трансгендерные и другие гендерно разнообразные людиВИЧ и секс-работаВИЧ и люди в местах лишения свободыВИЧ, стигма и дискриминация.

The Intersection of Syringe Use and HIV Criminalization: An Advocate’s Toolkit

This 2017 toolkit from The Center for HIV Law and Policy (CHLP) and the National LGBTQ Task Force highlights intersections between the criminalisation of injecting drug use and HIV, noting people living with HIV who inject are criminalised in multiple ways including by laws targeting sharing equipment; purchasing, possessing or distributing equipment; drug possession and use; and HIV exposure, non-disclosure and transmission. Notes repeated calls to address substance use as a public health issue, and provides tips to make advocacy more intentional, intersectional, inclusive, and effective.

Per-contact probability of HIV transmission in homosexual men in Sydney in the era of HAART

Reports data from a longitudinal cohort study of community-based HIV-negative homosexual men in Sydney, Australia. Reports risk of infection through unprotected anal intercourse.

Heterosexual risk of HIV-1 infection per sexual act: systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies

Reports findings from systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies of the risk of HIV-1 transmission per heterosexual contact (43 publications based on 25 studies).

HIV forensics: pitfalls and acceptable standards in the use of phylogenetic analysis as evidence in criminal investigations of HIV transmission

Considers the usefulness of phylogenetic analysis in HIV criminal trials, finding that phylogenetic analysis cannot prove that HIV transmission occurred directly between two individuals. Explains that phylogenetic analysis can exonerate individuals by demonstrating that the defendant carried a virus strain unrelated to that of the complainant.

Alternative links
Français, Español, Русский, HIV Medicine Wiley Online Library

Numerosos Jueces ilustres se reúnen para tratar el VIH, los derechos humanos y la legislación

Describe un encuentro de unos 30 jueces de los más altos tribunales nacionales de 16 países de la región de Asia y Pacífico. En la reunión se trató el papel del poder judicial en la respuesta al VIH. También se debatió sobre qué medidas específicas se pueden adoptar para crear un entorno jurídico y social más favorable para las personas con el VIH o están en situación de vulnerabilidad frente al mismo en la región.