December 1st was World AIDS Day, a day to raise awareness, honour those that have died from AIDS-related illness, and show support for people living with HIV around the world.
To mark this important day, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on some significant steps we have taken this year with our community partners toward addressing the ongoing legal, ethical and human rights challenges surrounding HIV in Australia.
Health+Law’s work is made possible through the contribution and dedication of our partners, including the generosity, knowledge and experience of people living with HIV. In this special edition, you will find highlights from our work in 2024 alongside the voices of people tirelessly continuing to drive change.
Launch of the HIV Legal website
We are excited to announce the official launch of HIV Legal—an online guide providing healthcare practitioners, community advocates and other interested readers with accessible, practical legal information on HIV and the law. Australia’s only resource of its kind, HIV Legal was developed by Health+Law in partnership with ASHM Health, and reflects both organisations’ commitment to bridging knowledge gaps and ensuring that all people affected by HIV and all people who work or volunteer to support them are properly informed.
Read more about HIV Legal and access the website here
New publication maps Australian HIV-related case law for the first time
Last month we published the second of four evidence-based reviews mapping the legal environment surrounding HIV and hepatitis B, and the legal needs of affected people.
This review, ‘HIV and the Law in Australia: A Mapping Review of Contemporary Case Law’ maps the legal landscape surrounding HIV in Australia by offering a comprehensive review of HIV-related judgments and tribunal decisions. It is the most comprehensive mapping of HIV case law in Australia since the advent of U=U and includes findings and analysis that may inform future law reform and policy regarding HIV in Australia.
Read more about this review and its key findings here, including a link to access and download the entire report
David Carter Delivers Keynote at the Australasian HIV&AIDS Conference
Health+Law’s research lead David Carter delivered a keynote address at the recent ASHM HIV Conference in Sydney, exploring the controversial past and present of HIV criminalisation in Australia. His urgent, provocative address challenged us to consider how current legal and policy processes in migration law recreate conditions of criminalisation, producing serious health and other harms for people living with HIV.
Read more about criminalisation and David’s keynote here
Interview with Joshua Borja, Positive Asian Network Australia (PANA)
We are honoured to feature an interview with Joshua Borja, a passionate advocate from Positive Asian Network Australia (PANA). PANA is a unique and vital community network run by and for Asian people living with HIV in Australia. PANA provides a dedicated space for connection, support and advocacy, offers information and referrals, and runs workshops and social events.
In this interview, we delve into the story behind PANA, the significance of its work, and Joshua’s vision for a more inclusive and equitable future for people living with HIV.
The theme for World AIDS Day 2024 is ‘Take the rights path’. You can read more on the UNAIDS website about the essential role that human rights must play if we hope to end AIDS as a public health threat.
Health+Law team members David Carter and Dion Kagan recently wrote an article for the UNSW Human Rights Institute of Australia about the importance of enabling legal environments to protect the health and human rights of people living with HIV and hepatitis B.
You can read their article on the Human Rights Institute website here
Don’t forgot to watch and share our webinars!
We recently held two webinars about the complex experience of migrating to Australia for people living with hepatitis B. These webinars introduce hepatitis B and migration law and processes, discuss current issues and challenges, and offer practical, actionable advice and recommendations. They feature a range of speakers with lived experience, health, law, migration and policy expertise. These webinars are suited for community members, clinicians, lawyers, migration agents and others with an interest in hepatitis B and migration.
Copyright (C) 2024 Health+Law. All rights reserved. The Health+Law Research Partnership is supported by funding from the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care, under the Blood Borne Viruses (BBV) and Sexually Transmissible Infections (STI) Research and Data Program.
