Throwing the book at them

The key to limiting HIV transmission lies in behaviour modification in an enabling environment,’ Senator Louise Pratt told those gathered at the launch of the NAPWA HIV criminalisation monograph in October.

The Canberra launch was hosted by Senator Pratt, who chairs the Parliamentary Liaison Group for HIV/AIDS, Blood-Borne Viruses [1]A small infective organism which is incapable of reproducing outside a host cell. and STIs [2][Sexually Transmissible (or Transmitted) Infection] Infections spread by the transfer of organisms from person to person during sexual contact. Also called venereal disease (VD) (an older public health term) or sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). .

Deputy chair Kay Hull MP officially launched the monograph, with a reflective and moving speech. ‘It really is time to have this discussion,’ she said.

Other speakers at the launch talked passionately about the need to begin a new debate about the laws criminalising HIV transmission and the need for a nationally consistent approach which treats HIV transmission as a health issue first and reserves criminal sanctions only for cases where they are clearly justified.

At a time when a new national HIV strategy is being developed to refocus Australia’s HIV prevention efforts, ‘the criminalisation of HIV transmission can undermine this work,’ Senator Pratt said.

The Parliamentary Liaison Group would work with NAPWA on a submission to the Attorney-General, she added.

Other speakers were NAPWA President Robert Mitchell, and contributing authors Sally Cameron, Michael Hurley and David Menadue, who in turn spoke on the major themes covered in the monograph: legality, morality and reality.

You can access some of the speeches from the launch at napwa.org.au and receive your own copy of the monograph by contacting the NAPWA office on 1800 259 666.