Where can I find additional resources on HIV/AIDS and human rights?

Resources

The most comprehensive collection of resources on HIV/AIDS and human rights is contained in a CD-ROM on “HIV/AIDS: Law, Ethics and Human Rights” produced by UNAIDS and the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network in 2006. Copies of this CD-Rom may be obtained by emailing UNAIDS at unaids@unaids.org.

To further your understanding on the topic of HIV/AIDS and human rights, a list of commonly used resources has been compiled and organized into the following categories:

Declarations and resolutions: UN

UN Commission on Human Rights, Access to Medications in the Context of Pandemics such as HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Resolutions 2005/23, 2004/26, 2003/29, and 2002/32
UN Commission on Human Rights, Protection of Human Rights in the Context of HIV/AIDS, Resolutions 2005/84, 2003/47, 2001/51, 1999/49, and 1996/43
UN Commission on the Status of Women, Women, the Girl Child, and HIV/AIDS, Resolution 47/1 (2003)
United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS, Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS, Resolution A/RES/S-26/2, June 27, 2001
United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS, Roundtable 2: HIV/AIDS and Human Rights, A/S-26/RT.2, June 25, 2001

Declarations and resolutions: non-UN

Demand for Action on TB and HIV. Glen Cove: Open Society Institute Public Health Watch, 2007
This demand for action, signed by 43 participants in a meeting hosted by Public Health Watch, calls on the international community to take immediate action against TB, including MDR and XDR-TB, and to integrate TB and HIV programs worldwide.
Global Treatment Access Group. The Global AIDS Crisis: Four Steps for Canada. A Civil Society Platform for Action. GTAG, 2007.
This call for action highlights what high-income countries like Canada should do to address the global AIDS crisis.
Source: www.aidslaw.ca/gtag
Human Rights and HIV/AIDS: Now More Than Ever (2nd edition). New York: Open Society Institute Law and Health Initiative, 2007.
This ten-point declaration, endorsed by 24 NGOs, outlines why, now more than ever, human rights should occupy the center of the global response to HIV and AIDS.
Source: www.soros.org/initiatives/health/focus/law
The Patients’ Charter for Tuberculosis Care: Patients’ Rights and Responsibilities. World Care Council, 2006.
Initiated and developed by patients around the world, this charter outlines the rights and responsibilities of people with TB and aims to make TB patients and their providers more accountable to each other. The charter was developed in tandem with the International Standards for Tuberculosis Care.

Guidelines

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, International Guidelines on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights: 2006 Consolidated Version, Second International Consultation on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights (Geneva, September 23-25, 1996) and Third International Consultation on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights (Geneva, July 25-26, 2002). Geneva: UNAIDS, 2006.
The Guidelines provide comprehensive, detailed, and specific guidance on how human rights should be promoted and protected in the context of the HIV and AIDS epidemic. The text and commentary of the Guidelines are available via the web.
Source: www.unaids.org or www.ohchr.org/english/issues/hiv/guidelines.htm

The following documents explain how advocates can best use the Guidelines, and provides concrete examples of how their implementation can be assessed:

AIDS & Rights Alliance for Southern Africa. HIV and Human Rights in SADC. Windhoek: ARASA, 2006.
2006 marked the tenth anniversary of the development of the Guidelines. To mark this occasion, ARASA released this report of an evaluation of the steps taken by SADC countries to implement the Guidelines. The report is the first attempt at measuring the successes and failures of SADC countries in responding to HIV within human rights based framework.
Source: www.arasa.info/publications.php
International Council of AIDS Service Organizations. Advocates Guide to the International Guidelines on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights. Toronto: ICASO, 1999.
An easy-to-read summary of the Guidelines, explaining to advocates how they can best use the Guidelines in their day-to-day work.
Source: www.icaso.org
Watchirs, H. A Rights Analysis Instrument to Measure Compliance With the International Guidelines on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights. Australian National Council on AIDS and Related Diseases, 1999.
This rights analysis instrument was developed to measure states’ compliance with the Guidelines. It has been applied in Australia {see: Watchirs H. AIDS Audit - HIV and Human Rights: An Australian Pilot. Law & Policy 2003; 25 (3): 245–268} and served as the basis for a legislative audit undertaken in Nepal {see: National Centre for AIDS and STD Control, POLICY Project/Nepal, and Forum for Women, Law and Development. HIV/AIDS and Human Rights: A Legislative Audit. Kathmandu, Nepal: Forum for Women, Law and Development, 2004 (Publication No. 76}. Source: www.policyproject.com/pubs/countryreports/NEP_LegAudit.pdf

Books

Beyrer C. War in the Blood: Sex, Politics, and AIDS in Southeast Asia. Zed Books, 1998.
Farmer P. Pathologies of Power. Health, Human Rights, and the War on the Poor. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2005.
Frankowski S. Legal Responses to AIDS in Comparative Perspective. Kluwer Law International, 1998. (This book is a collection of ten essays on legal responses to HIV and AIDS, written by scholars from five continents: Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and America).
Gostin L. The AIDS Pandemic: Complacency, Injustice, and Unfulfilled Expectations. University of North Carolina Press, 2003.
Lewis S. Race Against Time: Searching for Hope in AIDS-Ravaged Africa. Toronto: House of Anansi Press Inc., 2005.
Siplon P. AIDS and the Policy Struggle in the United States. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 2002.
Webber DA. AIDS and the Law. Aspen Publishers, 1997 (last updated, 2004). In addition to the most comprehensive analysis available about legal issues related to HIV and AIDS in the United States, this book also contains chapters on the law related to HIV and AIDS in Australia, Canada, Namibia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.
Source: www.aidsandthelaw.com for more information and ordering information.

Reports, key articles, and other documents

AIDS and Rights Alliance for South Africa. Proposed SADC Code on Gender and HIV/AIDS. ARASA, 2005.
This code contains “urgent measures needed to promote the equality of women and the reduction of women’s risk of HIV infection”. The Code is available in English and Portuguese. It is similar to the ‘Code on HIV/AIDS and Employment’ that was adopted by SADC 1997, but focuses specifically on the gendered dimensions of the AIDS epidemic.
Altman, D., HIV, Homophobia, and Human Rights. Health and Human Rights, 2 (4), 15-22 (1998).
Amnesty International. Women, HIV/AIDS and human rights. London: AI, 2004.
This paper offers a human rights analysis of the gender-specific factors that put women at risk of contracting HIV and of the consequences of contracting HIV that women face. It underlines the need for government action in a rights-based approach to the gender-related aspects of HIV and AIDS prevention, treatment and support.
Source: web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGACT770842004
Amon J. Preventing the further spread of HIV/AIDS: The essential role of human rights. New York: Human Rights Watch, 2006.
Argues that, even as treatment options are expanding, responses to HIV and AIDS in many places are getting further from the kind of science-based, human-rights informed response that has been proven to stop the spread of the disease. Left unaddressed, human rights abuses will undermine both HIV and AIDS prevention and treatment.
Source: hrw.org/wr2k6/hivaids/index.htm
Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network. A human rights approach to HIV/AIDS. Montreal: The Network (no date).
Describes in detail what is meant by a human rights approach to HIV and AIDS. Available in English and French.
Source: www.aidslaw.ca
Center for Health and Gender Equity. Policy brief: Implications of U.S. policy restrictions for programs aimed at commercial sex workers and victims of trafficking worldwide. Tacoma Park: The Center, 2005.
Explains the implications for effective HIV prevention, and the promotion of both human rights and public health, of US policy restrictions for programs aimed at sex workers.
Source: www.genderhealth.org
Csete J. HIV/AIDS and human rights: we’ve only just begun. HIV/AIDS Policy & Law Review 2005; 10(1): 1, 7-13.
Describes the human rights framework that is the foundation for a more effective response to HIV and AIDS and stresses the urgency of paying more than lip service to the need to put human rights at the centre of the fight against HIV and AIDS in Canada and beyond. Available in English and French.
Source: www.aidslaw.ca
Csete J, Elliott R. Scaling up HIV testing: human rights and hidden costs. HIV/AIDS Policy & Law Review 2006; 11(1): 1, 5-10.
Discusses the human rights and ethical issues raised by provider-initiated routine HIV testing. Available in English and French.
Source: www.aidslaw.ca
Criminal Law, Public Health and HIV Transmission, a Policy Options Paper, UNAIDS, Geneva (2002).
Gruskin S. Human rights and public health: An overview. Canadian HIV/AIDS Policy & Law Newsletter 1999; 4(2/3): 78-81.
Explains how a human rights framework can be applied to dealing with public health issues and, specifically, HIV and AIDS. The example of women's reproductive health is used to highlight governmental responsibility for both health and human rights. Available in English and French.
Source: www.aidslaw.ca
Heywood M. Human rights and HIV/AIDS in the context of 3 by 5: time for new directions? Canadian HIV/AIDS Policy & Law Review 2004; 9(2): 1, 7-13.
Argues that, over the last decade, the success of the human rights–based approach to HIV and AIDS has been spotty, and describes the challenges that remain in implementing a human rights approach. Argues that human rights advocacy needs to continue, but that new directions are required, and outlines new directions in the areas of confidentiality and openness, HIV testing, and health systems. Available in English and French.
Source: www.aidslaw.ca
International Council of AIDS Service Organizations. Community Monitoring and Evaluation. Implementation of the UNGASS Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS. Toronto: ICASO, 2006.
This study evaluated the extent to which governments have implemented the UNGASS Declaration of Commitment. It found that “human rights abuses of vulnerable populations continue unabated.”
Source: www.icaso.org
Jürgens R. Increasing Access to HIV Testing and Counseling While Respecting Human Rights. Background paper (revised). New York: Public Health Program, OSI, 2007.
Discusses the human rights and public health issues related to scaling up access to HIV testing.
Source: http://www.soros.org/initiatives/health/articles_publications/publications/testing_20070907
Malinowska-Sempruch K, Gallagher S (eds). War on Drugs, HIV/AIDS and Human Rights. New York, Amsterdam, Brussels: International Debate Education Association, 2004.
A collection of essays by people working in the area of harm reduction, drug policy and human rights.
Maman S, Groves A, King E, Pierce M, Wyckoff S. HIV Testing During Pregnancy: A Literature and Policy Review. Background paper. New York: Public Health Program, OSI, 2008.
Source: www.soros.org/initiatives/health/focus/law/articles_publications/publications/hivtesting_20080916
Mann J. Human rights. In: Smith RA (ed). Encyclopedia of AIDS: A Social, Political, Cultural, and Scientific Record of the HIV Epidemic. 1998.
An introduction to HIV/AIDS and human rights by the late Jonathan Mann.
Source: www.thebody.com/encyclo/human_rights.html
OSI Public Health Fact Sheet. Women and HIV Testing, Policies, Practices, and the Impacts on Health and Human Rights
Source: www.soros.org/initiatives/health/focus/law/articles_publications/publications/womenhiv_20080730.
Patterson D, London L. International law, human rights and HIV/AIDS. Bulletin of the World Health Organisation 2002; 80(12): 964-969.
This article explores the relevance of international human rights law in the response to the HIV and AIDS epidemic at national and international levels.
Source: www.who.int/entity/bulletin/archives/80(12)964.pdf
Piot P. Why AIDS is exceptional. Geneva: UNAIDS.
In this speech given at the London School of Economics on 8 February 2005, Dr Piot, the Executive Director of UNAIDS, argues that AIDS continues to be “exceptional in so many ways that only an equally exceptional response will succeed.”
Source: www.unaids.org
Roseman MJ, Gruskin S. HIV/AIDS & Human Rights in a Nutshell. Toronto & Boston: ICASO & Program on International Health and Human Rights, 2005.
Intended to provide “a quick and useful guide for action, as well as an inspirational framework to carry HIV/AIDS and human rights actions forward.” Available in English, French, Russian and Spanish.
Source: www.icaso.org
UNAIDS. From Principles to Practice: Greater Involvement of People Living with or Affected by HIV/AIDS. Geneva: UNAIDS, 1999.
Contains the text of the Declaration of the Paris AIDS Summit, explains why involving people living with and affected by HIV and AIDS is critical to the response to HIV and AIDS, and suggests how this can best be done in practice
Source: www.unaids.org
UNAIDS & Inter-Parliamentary Union. Handbook for legislators on HIV/AIDS, law and human rights. Geneva: UNAIDS, 1999.
Based on the International Guidelines on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights, presents concrete measures that legislators can take to protect human rights and promote public health in responding to HIV and AIDS.
Source: www.unaids.org
UNAIDS. HIV-related stigma, discrimination and human rights violations. Case studies of successful programmes. Geneva: UNAIDS, 2005.
This report provides a number of case studies of efforts to promote the human rights of people living with HIV and providing redress for violations of their human rights, in Venezuela, Namibia, India, and South Africa.
UNAIDS. Intensifying HIV Prevention: A UNAIDS Policy Position Paper. Geneva: UNAIDS/05.18E, 2005.
This paper aims to “energize and mobilize an intensification of HIV prevention with an ultimate aim of universal access to HIV prevention and treatment”. It recognizes that ensuring that “human rights are promoted, protected and respected and that measures are taken to eliminate discrimination and combat stigma” is an “essential policy action” for HIV prevention (at 23).
Source: www.unaids.org
UNAIDS & Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network. Courting rights: case studies in litigating the human rights of people living with HIV. Geneva: UNAIDS, 2006.
Presents examples where a whole range of people – from people living with HIV, to activists, to prisoners – have demanded that human rights related to HIV be recognized and enforced in national courts of law.
Source: www.unaids.org or www.aidslaw.ca
UNESCO & UNAIDS. HIV/AIDS and Human Rights - Young People in Action. Geneva, 2001.
This kit presents ideas for youth action on human rights and HIV and AIDS.
Source: www.unaids.org/en/Issues/Impact_HIV/hivHRlaw.asp
University of Toronto, Case Study: Treatment Action Campaign v. the Minister of Health.
Source: www.law-lib.utoronto.ca/diana/casestudies.html
World Health Organization. 25 questions & answers on health & human rights. Geneva: WHO, 2002.
Part of the WHO Health and Human Rights Publication Series which aims to clarify the relationship between human rights and specific health topics. Suggests answers to key questions which come to mind in exploring the linkages between health and human rights. Available in many languages.
Source: www.who.int/hhr/activities/publications/en
World Health Organization, UNAIDS, and Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. HIV/AIDS – Stand up for human rights. Geneva, 2003.
This cartoon is designed to empower young people to promote human rights in relation to HIV and AIDS, to raise awareness of the key linkages between HIV/AIDS and human rights, to demystify the disease and to combat the myths and taboos associated with HIV and AIDS. Available in English, French, and Thai.
Source: www.who.int/hhr/activities/publications/en/

Periodicals

Health & Human Rights
A journal dedicated to studying the relationship between human rights and health. Three issues of the journal have focused on HIV/AIDS and human rights.
Source: www.hsph.harvard.edu/fxbcenter/journal.htm
HIV/AIDS Policy & Law Review
Provides analysis and summaries of current developments in HIV/AIDS-related policy, law, and human rights.
Source: www.aidslaw.ca

Websites

The following websites contain useful information on HIV/AIDS and describe projects undertaken on HIV and AIDS and human rights:

Accion Ciudadana Contra el SIDA (Venezuela)
In Spanish only. Contains many relevant materials, including a manual on HIV/AIDS and human rights.
www.accsi.org.ve
AIDS Law Project (South Africa)
Together with the website of the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, this site is the most comprehensive source for information on legal and human rights issues related to HIV and AIDS.
www.alp.org.za
AIDS Law Unit of the Legal Assistance Centre (Namibia)
www.lac.org.na/alu/default.htm
AIDS Legal Network (South Africa)
Among other things, contains information on a Training Manual – HIV/AIDS & Human Rights: Towards a supportive and enabling environment for women, children and other vulnerable groups. The manual includes four modules pertaining to defining and understanding core concepts, to the meaning and implication of Guideline 8 of the International Guidelines on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights, to South Africa’s response to the principles outlined in Guideline 8 and to practical advocacy steps aimed at enhancing the access to, and implementation of, legislative and policy measures. Also contains an HIV/AIDS and the Law Trainers’ Manual.
www.aln.org.za
AIDS Rights Alliance for Southern Africa (ARASA)
This website contains a number of useful documents, including an HIV/AIDS and Human Rights Advocacy Resource Manual, a Draft Code on HIV/AIDS and Gender, and a report on HIV and human rights in SADC countries.
www.arasa.info
Botswana Network on Ethics, Law, and HIV (BONELA)
www.bonela.org
Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network
Together with the website of the AIDS Law Project (South Africa), this site is the most comprehensive source for information on legal and human rights issues related to HIV and AIDS. All materials are in English and French. Some materials are also available in Spanish and Russian and in some other languages.
www.aidslaw.ca
Center for HIV Law and Policy
www.hivlawandpolicy.org
Center for Reproductive Rights
www.reproductiverights.org
Health Action AIDS (USA)
A project of Physicians for Human Rights (www.phrusa.org) in coordination with Partners in Health (www.pih.org). The site contains a section on HIV/AIDS and human rights.
www.phrusa.org/campaigns/aids/index.html
Human Rights Watch
Contains a section on HIV/AIDS and human rights with many reports on human rights abuses in the context of the global HIV and AIDS epidemic and other materials.
www.hrw.org
Hungarian Civil Liberties Association
Hungarian and English. Among other things, HCLU has produced a book on HIV/AIDS and human rights in Hungary and a policy paper on HIV and AIDS.
www.tasz.hu
International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO)
Contains documents on issues related to HIV/AIDS and human rights, including an advocates’ guide to the International Guidelines on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights and a paper on “HIV/AIDS and Human Rights in a Nutshell.”
www.icaso.org
Lawyers Collective HIV/AIDS Unit (India)
www.lawyerscollective.org
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
At www.ohchr.org/english/issues/hiv/index.htm, contains a section dedicated to HIV/AIDS and human rights, including an “introduction to HIV/AIDS and human rights” and a list of documents, including resolutions, general comments and reports by various UN bodies on issues related to HIV and AIDS and human rights.
www.ohchr.org
Open Society Institute – Public Health Program
Contains, among other things, the NGO declaration “Human Rights and HIV/AIDS: Now More than Ever”, and a background paper on scaling up access to HIV testing in resource-poor countries.
www.soros.org/initiatives/health/
Program on International Health and Human Rights (United States)
Contains a number of publications and other information about HIV/AIDS and human rights.
www.hsph.harvard.edu/pihhr/index.html
Southern African Litigation Center
Supports litigation and advocacy to mitigate the negative impact of HIV/AIDS in Southern Africa; the program launched a case law database that provides free access to judicial decisions form around the world on HIV/AIDS-related issues.
www.southernafricalawcenter.org/salc/casedocket/casedocketlisting.aspx?Category=hiv
Uganda Network on Law, Ethics, and HIV
www.uganet.org
UK AIDS and Human Rights Project
Among other things, contains a series of fact sheets on HIV/AIDS and human rights and on HIV and AIDS and prisoners’ rights.www.aidsrightsproject.org.uk
UNAIDS
Contains a section on HIV, human rights and law, explaining why protection of human rights is critical to a successful response to HIV and AIDS, with links to many resources on issues related to HIV/AIDS and human rights produced by UNAIDS and to the work of the UNAIDS Global Reference Group on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights.
www.unaids.org
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
One of the focus areas of the UNDP HIV and AIDS activities is human rights, gender, and HIV and AIDS. www.undp.org/hiv/focus03.htm, the site contains materials related to human rights and HIV and AIDS, including a discussion paper on human rights, gender and HIV and AIDS prepared for the round table on human rights, gender and HIV and AIDS held during the 2005 UN General Assembly High Level Meeting on HIV and AIDS. The Paper argues that if the dual and synergistic challenges of gender equality and respect for human rights are not addressed, the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and the targets of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS will be jeopardized.
www.undp.org
World Health Organization (WHO)
The site contains information about WHO’s work on health and human rights and a number of publications on the topic.
www.who.int/en/
Zambia AIDS Law Research and Advocacy Network (ZARAN)
www.zaran.org

Blogs and list-serves

American Bar Association AIDS Coordinating Committee, HIV-LEGAL Listserv
www.abanet.org/AIDS/listserv.html
HealthGAP (Global Access Project)
www.healthgap.org
AIDS and Rights: A Collaborative Blog Focused on HIV and AIDS and Human Rights
www.eliminateaids.blogspot.com

Training Manuals

AIDS Law Project, Lawyers for Human Rights and Joint Oxfam HIV/AIDS Programme. HIV/AIDS and the Law. A Trainer’s Manual (second edition), 2005.
A practical manual aiming to assist people who train others on HIV and AIDS and the law.
Source: www.aln.org.za
AIDS Legal Network. Training Manual – HIV/AIDS & Human Rights: Towards a supportive and enabling environment for women, children and other vulnerable groups. ALN, 2005.
This training manual focuses on Guideline 8 of the International Guidelines on HIV/AIDS and Human Rights. It is prepared for a facilitation approach based on interaction, participation, information sharing and skills development and targets trainers within civil society.
Source: www.aln.org.za
AIDS & Rights Alliance for Southern Africa. HIV/AIDS and Human Rights Advocacy Resource Manual. Windhoek: ARASA, 2006.
The purpose of this manual is to set out information on HIV/AIDS and human rights, with a focus on Southern Africa, in an accessible and user-friendly format. The manual provides its readers with a better understanding of the links between HIV/AIDS and human rights; sets out ways in which law and policy can and should promote an effective human rights based response to HIV and AIDS in Southern Africa; gives examples of how Southern African countries have used rights-based law and policy to respond to HIV and AIDS; and provides readers with ideas on how to strengthen a rights-based response to HIV and AIDS in their own countries and in the region.
Source: www.arasa.info/publications.php
Asia Pacific Council of AIDS Service Organizations. HIV/AIDS and Human Rights: A Training Manual for NGOs, Community Groups and People Living with HIV/AIDS, 2002.
This manual contains a series of training modules designed to introduce a human rights approach to HIV and AIDS.
Source: www.apcaso.org
Botswana Network on Law, Ethics, and HIV/AIDS. Human Rights and HIV: A Manual for Action. BONELA, 2005.
The manual aims to “provide the right tools for local activists, government officers, health care workers and people living with HIV and AIDS to pursue a human rights approach to the many problems posed by the epidemic”.
Source: www.bonela.botsnet.co.bw
HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic (Ontario). HIV & the Law Advocate’s Manual. Toronto: HALCO, 2004.
A lay advocates manual designed to help people living with HIV or AIDS and front line workers in agencies working with people living with HIV or AIDS understand more about the legal issues affecting them.
Source: www.halco.org
University of Toronto. Women, HIV/AIDS and Human Rights-syllabus and annotated bibliography.2006. Prepared for a series of four workshops held at the University of Toronto, August 4-17, 2006. Hard copies of the full text syllabus also available while supplies last.
Contact: reprohealth.law@utoronto.ca
Source: www.law-lib.utoronto.ca/diana/women-hiv-aids/contents.htm

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