By Kevin Moody, International Coordinator and CEO, Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+), an AIDS 2010 Organizing Partner

Rights Here, Right Now: a fitting theme for this year’s conference. For me, it encompasses high aspirations for the respect and protection of the rights of people living with HIV (PLHIV), coupled with the demand for action so that these aspirations can become a reality.

HIV is not just a medical problem. In fact, the medical aspects of HIV are relatively straight-forward. The real epidemic is the penalization around HIV and the stigma and discrimination it promotes. As a community of PLHIV, no matter the age, sex, race, sexuality, etc., the one antidote that can begin to address this epidemic is found in the protection of our human dignity.

At GNP+, our work is based on shared principles that include the understanding that HIV is a human rights issue and that chronic care principles that place the person at the centre should apply to responses to the epidemic. These aspirations may seem out of reach, especially to those with other basic needs, such as access to the basic needs of food and water and access to treatment, prevention and care services.

GNP+ has responded by developing programmes that translate the experience of PLHIV into qualitative and quantitative data that can be used for advocacy to change policies change at the national, regional and international levels.

For example, important work is taking place with national networks of PLHIV to document HIV-related human rights violations, through the Human Rights Count! programme. In addition to pilot studies taking place in Kenya, Nigeria and Zambia, documentation is underway in Canada, Indonesia, Nepal, Namibia, Swaziland and the U.S.

Interim results indicate the following:

• PLHIV experience violations of their rights because of their HIV positive status
• PLHIV are not aware of their rights or not asserting their rights due to fears of recrimination
• PLHIV are not seeking redress or justice for the violations of their rights
• PLHIV are not reporting violations to the appropriate authorities, even where opportunities to do so exist.

Meaningful changes will only happen when the policy and legal environments in which we live are changed. Amongst other things, GNP+ is advocating for the following outcomes:

• Removal of punitive laws and policies that have a negative impact on responses to HIV, including: the decriminalisation of consensual same-sex activities; decriminalisation of sex work; prevention or retraction of HIV-specific  laws criminalising HIV transmission/exposure and broad application of other laws in these cases; prevention and retraction of HIV-related restrictions on entry, stay and residence in a country.
• Protective laws and policies that address HIV-related vulnerabilities, including: advocating for transformative policies that create enabling environments for women, children and other key populations.
• Promotion of protective laws and policies to address HIV-related human rights violations and discrimination against PLHIV.

GNP+ is a member of the Technical Advisory Group for the AIDS and the Law Commission. This important initiative (hosted by UNDP with support from the World AIDS Campaign) has just been announced and will be an opportunity for PLHIV and key populations to submit evidence of how negative legal environments can adversely affect the HIV response in countries.

PLHIV are part of the solution, not part of the problem. On Monday, 19 July, the plenary session on Positive Health Dignity and Prevention will outline how PLHIV are poised to provide a positive and constructive contribution to HIV treatment, prevention and care. At the end of the day, our contributions can only be realized if we are able to operate in an environment of support, free of oppression. I encourage you to attend this plenary session, to support us in the fight to contain the epidemic and support PLHIV and key populations in communities everywhere.

Rights Here, Right Now – it’s not just a conference theme – it’s the key to fighting the epidemic. All the best public health practice in the world will fail until there’s a global realization – and a community-based implementation – of the optimazation of human rights for everyone as an essential public health intervention for the prevention, treatment and care of PLHIV and those at risk of acquiring HIV.

Are we up to it? Only time will tell but I’m optimistic and, besides, we have no choice if we want to prevent new infections and care for those already living with HIV. Right now.