279 Views Posted on 27-Jul-2010 under Health

The criminalization of men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people in Asia is holding back efforts to contain HIV/AIDS in the region, according to a report presented Wednesday by the U.N. Development Program (UNDP) and Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health at the International AIDS Conference-AIDS 2010, VOA News reports. The report "linked the criminalization of homosexual behavior to an increase in the infection rate of HIV and AIDS in Asia.
As described in the report, researchers analyzed "legislation, cases, and published research and grey literature regarding laws, and law enforcement policies and practices" to assess the "legal environments affecting HIV responses among MSM and transgender people in 48 countries and territories of the Asia and Pacific region from August 2009-June 2010.
"Of the 48 countries in the region, 19 of them including Afghanistan, Bhutan, Kiribati and Malaysia have outlawed sex between consenting male adults, with these laws often used by vigilantes in ways that lead to abuse and rights violations," the U.N. News Centre writes. Despite these laws, nearly half of the countries in the Asia-Pacific region identify MSM as being high-risk for HIV/AIDS, the news service adds. The report also looked at how police in these regions target MSM and transgender people, and how such targeting interrupts HIV prevention services and educational programs.
"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," AOL News reports.
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 "new report 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 news service adds.
"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.
PTI/Zee News examines several positive developments towards protecting the rights of sexual minorities in Asia-Pacific, including Nepal's decriminalization of male-to-male sex. "India is one of the four countries in Asia along with China, Cambodia and Indonesia have specific action plans to combat HIV and AIDS among MSM, but implementation of several schemes continue to suffer, the report also said.
“Among the new report's recommendations are the repealing of laws criminalizing
sex between consenting adults, as well as supporting community-based education
and advocacy on the human rights of MSM and transgender people," U.N. News
Centre writes. The report "also calls for anti-discrimination laws to be enacted across the