MONTREAL/March 15, 2005—
On Thursday, March 17, 2005, as part of the ongoing Peace and Conflict Resolution series, Concordia University will present a lecture by Dr. Joanne Csete, director of the AIDS and Human Rights program of Human Rights Watch. The lecture Missed Opportunity: Are We Losing the AIDS Battle by Ignoring the Human Rights Connection? will take place at 6 pm, in room H-110 of the Henry F. Hall Building (1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd. West).
There is a strong consensus globally that respecting the human rights of people most at risk of HIV/AIDS and those living with the disease is a key to fighting the epidemic. But, with few exceptions, this consensus is not backed up by financial and programmatic support. Dr. Csete will analyse our failure to halt the pandemic in terms of our neglect of rights-based frameworks.
Subordination of women is increasingly recognized as a driving force for the epidemic, but the relatively simple measures that could be taken to protect women and girls from sexual violence, to improve prosecution of sexual offenders, to criminalize domestic violence and marital rape, to keep girls from having to leave school, and to ensure women's equality in property, inheritance and divorce laws are not taken and not seen to be part of fighting AIDS.
Sex workers, injection drug users, prisoners and gay and bisexual men as well as people with AIDS continue to be criminalized and driven away from prevention and care. Abstinence-based approaches ó with respect to both sex and drugs ó have distorted good public health policy and effectively undermined people's right to information. Policies that would protect human rights in these key areas will be proposed as part of a new way to think about national AIDS responses.
For more information about this lecture contact Chris Brosseau of the HIV/AIDS Curriculum Project, at (514) 848-2424, ext. 7998 or at: hivaids@alcor.concordia.ca.
For updates on the Peace and Conflict Resolution series, contact Laurie Lamoureux-Scholes at peace@alcor.concordia.ca.
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Source :
Tanya Churchmuch
Senior Media Relations Advisor
Concordia University
