Posted On: Sunday, November 22nd, 2015
To: Jody Wilson-Raybould, Minister of Justice The Positive Living Society of British Columbia calls on the Justice Minister to take what steps are necessary to bring a halt to prosecutions for sexual assault and aggravated sexual assault based on HIV-non-disclosure. Click here to sign the petition. Why is this important? Canadians living with HIV are… Read more »
Posted On: Monday, October 5th, 2015
Posted On: Monday, September 28th, 2015
When it comes to HIV disclosure, the law is complicated. In 2012, the Canadian Supreme Court issued a regressive ruling that made the law stricter for people living with HIV, in opposition to scientific assessments of risk and medical advancements that reduce the likelihood of transmission. Legally, people living with HIV must use a condom… Read more »
Posted On: Tuesday, September 8th, 2015
It’s been a busy summer for Canadians with federal election campaigns now well underway. Interestingly, harm reduction services, the legalization of cannabis, and drug policy writ large have been prominent issues in the news — and we hope these critical human rights issues will remain front and centre. In the coming weeks, we’ll be connecting… Read more »
Posted On: Monday, July 27th, 2015
Leading figures in the HIV response have endorsed a call for immediate access to antiretroviral therapy for all people upon diagnosis with HIV, on the opening day of the Eighth International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention (IAS 2015) in Vancouver, Canada. The Vancouver Consensus Statement has been endorsed by leaders of… Read more »
Posted On: Friday, April 24th, 2015
The Positive Living Society of British Columbia has just published a resource aimed at helping PLHIV talk with others about their HIV status, and reducing HIV stigma. It is entitled “Disclosure: Telling Someone You Are Living with HIV.” This new resource is based on the lived experience of PLHIV and includes helpful information on planning… Read more »
Posted On: Wednesday, March 11th, 2015
Researchers at the University of Toronto are seeking individuals to participate in a project aiming to explore and understand the intersection of immigration status and racialization related to the criminalization of HIV in Canada. It asks: What is the significance of immigration status and racialization for the criminalization of HIV non-disclosure in Canada?
Posted On: Wednesday, March 11th, 2015
Positive Living BC is asking for support in their campaign calling for new HIV non-disclosure charge guidelines in BC. Right now in BC, around 13,000 people living with HIV are susceptible to prosecution based on the current interpretation of sexual assault provisions in the Criminal Code by the Supreme Court. Scientific evidence demonstrates that there… Read more »
Posted On: Friday, October 3rd, 2014
New Resources: Criminalization of HIV non-disclosure Access our new suite of multimedia resources on the criminalization of HIV non-disclosure — an updated set of info sheets, two short videos breaking down the current problematic state of the criminal law in Canada, and a webinar series explaining an individual’s rights and responsibilities with respect to HIV… Read more »
Posted On: Thursday, August 7th, 2014
The Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network has been “down under” during what passes for winter in Melbourne, attending AIDS 2014 last week – and amidst several presentations and various sides meetings with human rights advocates, the Legal Network also co-hosted the busy and successful Human Rights Networking Zone at the conference.The Zone opened with a packed… Read more »
Posted On: Wednesday, July 30th, 2014
Please find a position paper (and executive summary) on HIV criminalization prepared by Positive Living BC and sent to the Ministers of Justice and Health (and others) on June 25. Because new Charge Assessment Guidelines are the only way we in BC can mitigate the damage otherwise done by the October 2012 decisions of the… Read more »
Posted On: Wednesday, July 9th, 2014
By Sue-Ling Goh EDMONTON — When HIV-AIDS first hit North America in the 1980s, diagnosis almost always meant early death. As the virus spread out of control, the legal system began to see unprecedented cases: people with HIV charged with serious offences – most commonly aggravated sexual assault. Since the early 1990s, more than 150… Read more »
