The Global Commission on HIV and the Law recently conducted a web discussion of steps to implement the Commission’s recommendations for better harmonizing law and HIV control. One of the questions for discussion was:
What are examples of innovative or non-traditional partnerships that can be used to strategically advance human-rights based responses to HIV … ?
Nick Crofts posted an interesting essay elaborating on “three falacies”:
- that police are merely passive implementers of the law; so that if the law is reformed, police attitudes and behaviours towards MARP communities will automatically fall in line;
- that police are the enemy, and that their behaviours are not amenable to change without confrontation; and/or
- that training and sensitization of police is adequate to change behaviours of police towards MARP communities.
I agree with him, and have seen these beliefs hinder action for a long time. Nick has some interesting thoughts about ways to move forward. He also talked about the work of The Law Enforcement and HIV Network (LEAHN) , which is working to bride the gap between police and public health agencies. It’s worth a few minutes to read it.
LEAHN is sponsoring its second global conference next Spring in Amsterdam.
