The call comes in the final Declaration issued at the conclusion of a four day conference of HIV positive people and support workers, convened in Auckland last week and attracting delegates from most Pacific nations.
Pacific nations in which consensual sex between adult males is still a criminal offense include the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Palau, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga and Tuvalu. In some of those countries penalties as severe as fourteen years' imprisonment are still on the statutes. It is increasingly recognised around the world that fear of discrimination or legal punishment drives same-sex activities underground, leading to inaccurate HIV statistics and hindering education programmes.
"We, the HIV positive people of the Pacific, and delegates to the Pan Pacific Gathering of HIV+ People, call on all governments of the Pacific to pass laws that recognize and protect the Human Rights of People Living with HIV," the declaration states.
The Declaration interprets that call to include protection against discrimination, unrestricted movement between nations for HIV people, the decriminalising of sex work and sex between men. It also calls on governments to provide access to HIV testing, post-test support and effective HIV medications.
