Intersecting issues, identities, and barriers in access to health care, HIV services & sexual and reproductive health and rights among key populations in Central and Eastern Europe & Central Asia
This briefing paper explores the impact of intersecting identities—such as LGBT, people who use drugs (PWUD), sex workers (SW), and people living with HIV (PLHIV)—on health access, agency, and social justice in the context of structural inequalities and stigma. Using the framework of intersectionality, it examines how overlapping identities shape lived experiences of discrimination, influencing mental and physical health outcomes and access to healthcare services. The paper is based on cross-regional consultations conducted across 14 countries in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia (CEECA), including surveys and focus group discussions with 103 individuals with multiple intersecting identities.
Enforcement of HIV Criminalization in Arkansas
Using data obtained from the Arkansas Crime Information Center and the Information Network of Arkansas, this study examines the enforcement of HIV criminalization laws in Arkansas since 1989. It found that HIV-related crimes in Arkansas are disproportionately enforced based on race and sex and impact Black men the most.
HIV Criminalization in California: What We Know
Highlights significant findings about Californian criminal law including that more than 800 people have come in contact with California’s criminal system based on their HIV status, with 93% of convictions requiring no proof of conduct likely to transmit HIV. Also finds HIV criminal statutes are disparately enforced based on race/ethnicity, sexuality and gender.