UN Report: Repressive Laws Increasing AIDS Risk in Asia

UNITED NATIONS (July 21) -- Repressive laws and social barriers are blocking vital AIDS-prevention efforts for homosexuals and transgender people in Asia, which has some of the fastest-growing rates of HIV in the world, according to the United Nations.

A new report released by the U.N. today warned that unless prevention efforts receive a boost, nearly half of all new infections in Asia will be among men who have sex with men by 2020.

"The Asia Pacific region is truly at a critical moment in its response to HIV," the report said. "The window of opportunity to address these issues is fast closing."

Of the 48 countries in the region, 19 have laws against consenting male adults having sex. In India, the Delhi High Court decriminalized the practice, but the government has appealed the decision in the Supreme Court, which will decide the national position.

Nepal is the only country that has legalized homosexual sex, which the report described as an "exceptional development." Even there, however, almost one in five of 148 HIV-positive homosexuals and transgender people surveyed admitted to suffering both physical abuse and service refusals when seeking health care.

Data showed that HIV-prevention services in the Asia-Pacific region reach only 9 to 20 percent of men who have sex with men, meaning that countries are falling short of their universal access targets. The report underscored that the eight countries with anti-discrimination laws (including Fiji, Philippines, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand) had greater coverage of prevention services.

The U.N. report also found widespread police abuse of homosexuals and transgender people in Asian countries, including rape, blackmail, beatings and harassment in public cruising areas.

HIV-prevention workers reported that because of a lack of private spaces to have sex, male couples resort to public places, but the fear of being caught pushes them to have rushed and unsafe sex. State harassment also resulted in the men's reluctance to carry condoms for fear of being arrested for sex work.

The U.N. report also highlighted that conservative factions of Christianity and Islam continue to pose objections to same-sex sexual relations. Several religious organizations continue to back repressive laws, particularly in conservative Muslim communities and some Christian communities in Pacific island countries.

"Successful AIDS responses do not punish people; they protect them. ... We must ensure that AIDS responses are based on evidence, not ideology, and reach those most in need and most affected," U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said last year on World AIDS Day.