“This was a good opportunity for communities to learn more about the criminalization of HIV and how criminalization violates the right to health, violates the right to equality and freedom from discrimination, and violates the right to be free from cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment. From here we should disseminate this information to our peers to ensure the campaign is vibrant and all communities of persons living with and affected by HIV should support and be on the forefront.” These were the thoughts of Victor Kariuki from Sauti Sikika during the recently concluded Stakeholder Action Plan Meeting to repeal Section 26 of the Sexual Offences Act (SOA) through the Positive Justice Campaign. The one-day forum was held on Human Rights Day, 10 December 2019, in Nairobi.
The forum brought together 28 stakeholders drawn from legal practitioners, members of communities representing persons living with HIV, young people and discordant couples. The forum provided a platform for stakeholders to engage and deliberate on: the Positive Justice Campaign and why there is need to repeal Section 26 of the Sexual Offences Act, and share updates on Petition 447 of 2018 and other ongoing cases on the criminalization of HIV.
The forum also created an opportunity for discussions on the Sexual Offences Act and how it negatively affects national interventions such as HIV testing interventions and the 90:90:90 global targets to end AIDS by 2030.
At the end of the training, participants committed to disseminating information on the Positive Justice Campaign and the harms of Section 26 of the SOA so that more people are aware of the provisions and can carry forward the conversations using the different available platforms.
To contribute to the discussions on this forum, follow KELIN on our social media platforms using the hashtags: #Justice2Health and #PositiveJustive.
Twitter: @KELINKenya
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kelinkenya
For more information, contact:
Ted Wandera
Program Officer, Key & Affected Populations
Kenya Legal and Ethical Issues Network on HIV/AIDS (KELIN)
4th Floor, Somak Building, Mombasa Road
Tel +254202515790; Cell +254708389870
Email: twandera@kelinkenya.org
