KELIN pro bono lawyers sensitized on HIV and TB criminalization

On 20 – 23 February 2018, Ms Keziah Nyambura, Ms Emily Kinama and Mr Jackson Awele participated in a regional training of African Lawyers on Strategic Litigation, Legal Defence and Advocacy against HIV and TB criminalization. The training programme was organized by the Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC) under the UNDP-supported Africa Regional Grant on HIV: Removing Legal Barriers programme.

The training focused on HIV and TB criminalization, and equipped African lawyers with information on the harmful impact of overbroad criminalization.

“The greatest fallacy is that laws that criminalise HIV protect people who do not have HIV. The [truth is that] they drive people away from getting tested for HIV and from accessing treatment which stops HIV from being transmitted” Keynote speaker, Justice Edwin Cameron (South African Constitutional Court Judge)

During the training, a HIV Criminalisation Defence Case Compendium that aims to support lawyers acting for those who are alleged to have put others at risk of HIV was launched. The compendium, compiled by SALC with input from other partners including KELIN, contains criminal cases from all over the world on HIV exposure, non-disclosure or transmission.

Participants at the training also benefited from experiences of communities of affected persons, HIV and TB activists and legal, medical and judicial experts from across the world.

Lawyers from Kenya who attended the training had the following to say:

“As a lawyer, the science of TB and HIV was an eye opener. It answered several common stereotypes that have been used to stigmatize infected and affected persons and equipped me with critical information that will enrich my approach to HIV and TB related court cases.” Jackson Awele

“The training was very comprehensive, it took into account not only the legal principles of HIV&TB criminalization, but the science and social impact of the same providing a much needed background for understanding of the issues,” Keziah Nyambura

The presentations that formed part of the training can be accessed at SALC website here.

To contribute to the discussions on this forum, follow KELIN on our social media platforms: Twitter: @KELINkenya using these hashtag #Lawyers4HIVTBJustice #HIVNotACrime Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kelinkenya

For more information contact:

 

Timothy Wafula,

Programme Associate, HIV and TB

Kenya Legal and Ethical Issues Network on HIV and AIDS (KELIN)

Mombasa Road, Somak building 4th Floor

P O Box 112 – 00200

Nairobi

E-mail: twafula@kelinkenya.org