More HIV prosecutions likely
Police investigations into cases involving sexual transmission of HIV are
occurring at a rate of one a fortnight, according to a new report.
And police are pursuing cases even where transmission has not occurred, the
THT report said.
Aids Assassin? was released following the sentencing of the first gay man
in the UK to four years and three months after he admitted passing on HIV
to his former lover.
Between June 2005 and June 2006, THT logged 24 separate police investigations
and nine court cases resulting in five convictions, with another subject to
appeal.
All five convictions went unchallenged because the defendants pleaded guilty.
Two cases made it to the courts but were dropped because HIV transmission
had not taken place, according to the report.
Author Lisa Power, who presented her findings at the recent World Aids Conference
in Toronto, said at least five police investigations were triggered by a complaint
from someone at the end of a relationship rather at an earlier point when
the person was diagnosed with HIV.
Ms Power said: “In all cases police and prosecution media statements
significantly misstated the case as ‘deliberate’ instead of ‘reckless’,
and characterised the accused as predatory, suggesting many more might have
been infected.
“Many fears expressed by people living with HIV are grounded in reality.
Fear of accusations by a partner, not on diagnosis, but as revenge for a relationship
break up, are justified.”
In at least three cases, police actively sought out and tested sexual contacts
in an organised ‘trawl’ for potential complainants.
In another, police pursued charges against one person despite accepting the
accused was the victim of a violent sexual assault.
In eight cases medical notes were handed over to police on request without
a court order, raising serious concerns about medical confidentiality in HIV
clinics.
• Mark James, 47, of Burgess Hill, West Sussex, was sentenced in his
absence to four years and three months in prison at Isleworth Crown Court
on 3 August, after admitting grievous bodily harm to his ex-partner. James
failed to attend the sentencing hearing and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Aid Assassins: the impact of introducing criminal charges for transmission
of HIV in the UK www.tht.org.uk/prosecutions
Gay prevention ads banned as ‘obscene’
Two ads from gay men’s health charity GMFA have been banned by the Advertising
Standards Authority on grounds of obscenity.
One ad featured two men holding a sign saying ‘We’d rather fuck
than watch TV’, while the other said: ‘Learn all about your cock
and pick up tips about wanking and blow job techniques.”
The complaint came from someone who saw the ads in a copy of the Pink Paper.
But GMFA, known for frank and hard-hitting sexual health campaigns, said their
mission was to improve gay men’s health by giving them the knowledge,
skills and confidence to negotiate in sexual situations.
Medics condemn denial of healthcare
Britain is violating the human rights of asylum seekers by denying healthcare,
according to the British Medical Journal.
The government has already denied free hospital care to failed asylum seekers
and is planning to deny access to free primary care as well.
And the Refugee Council says destitute asylum seekers are now being refused
hospital treatments and are being hounded by debt collectors to pay NHS bills.
Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of asylum seekers to Britain are now being denied
HIV treatments creating a further public health crisis.
Yusef Azad, of the National Aids Trust, said: “To charge someone without
resources for potentially life-saving treatment is inhumane. For people living
with HIV, the effects of delayed or disrupted treatment can be long-term and
devastating.
“We hear from people living with HIV whose asylum applications have
failed, who are ill or destitute. Denying these people essential hospital
treatment, or pursuing them for debts incurred from life-saving treatment,
may condemn them to serious ill-health or death.”
Trust chief executive Deborah Jack accused the government of putting prejudice
before evidence and the health of the community. “These charges must
be abolished as a matter of urgency,” she said
Sexual health funds spent on NHS debts
Money earmarked for cash-strapped sexual health services is being diverted
to pay off NHS debts, according to a new report.
The Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health and HIV found the extra £300
million given by the government for sexual health was not reaching the front
line in many primary care trusts (PCTs).
Fifty one of England’s 304 PCTs said they absorbed their entire allocation
for sexual health into their general budget and 33 had withheld some or most
of the funding. Forty PCTs said funding had not reached contraceptive services
and the lack of funding in genito-urinary medicine (GUM) was causing understaffing
and a freeze on recruitment.
Dr Mike Dixon, chair of the NHS Alliance, said: “I fear some PCTs are
using the money for deficits. And there may be a bit of creative accounting
when assessing priorities.”
The Department of Health said they had provided PCTs with more sexual health
money than ever before. “It is up to local NHS organisations to decide
how to manage their budgets to best meet local needs,” it added.
Latest government figures show a three per cent rise in the number of STIs
diagnosed at GUM clinics last year. Rates of genital warts, chlamydia and
syphilis climbed sharply while rates of gonorrhoea dropped by 13 per cent.
The Health Protection Agency said the figures show an upward trend.
“Some of this increase may reflect the greater availability of testing,”
said agency director Professor Peter Borriello, “But the overall trend
of increasing numbers shows the full extent of the challenge facing healthcare
professionals as they try to limit the spread of STIs.”
Disco diva fights HIV
Disco diva Angie Brown showed her support for the battle against HIV by joining
the UKC team at two major events this summer.
She sang a rendition of her club hit ‘I’m gonna get you baby’
at an Ensuring Positive Futures event overlooking the Europride march along
Oxford Street.
Angie is pictured, with her young son Cuba Brown and the UKC team at this
summer’s Crusaid Walk For Life. The UKC walkers raised a magnificent
£4,000.
THT finally breaches Hadrian’s Wall
A merger between PHACE Scotland and the Terrence Higgins Trust has been criticised
by HIV activists north of the border.
It brings together England and Wales’ biggest HIV organisation, with
an annual turnover of £12 million, with a Scottish charity which has
turnover of just £500,000.
THT has now merged with more than 20 HIV charities since 1999.
HIV groups in Scotland said the move was carried out without consultation
and has effectively derailed plans to merge major HIV charities north of the
border. And they questioned whether the views of HIV positive people would
be properly represented.
Jim Whannel, chair of PHACE Scotland, said they looked forward to cementing
their relationship with THT, and to “protecting and enhancing much-needed
HIV and sexual health services for local people”.
THT chief executive Nick Partridge said it was “an exciting opportunity
to make a real impact for the UK as a whole”.
The merger came just 24 hours after PHACE Scotland withdrew from negotiations
with Waverley Care, Scotland’s largest HIV charity, and 10 days after
PHACE said they could no longer work with Gay Men’s Health, the other
partner in merger talks.
Roy Kilpatrick, chair of HIV Scotland, questioned the rapid and unexpected
nature of the merger and asked why there was no consultation.
“How did they consult with service users, the very people for whose
benefit we exist? Were the views of their stakeholders and funders taken into
account? THT are getting off to a bad start with their plans for a pale shadow
of existing structures,” he said.
In an article entitled ‘Cuckoo in the Nest?’ published on Scotland’s
voluntary sector website, author Stephen Maxwell pointed to the reduction
of services for HIV positive people and the lack of input from service users
seen after other THT mergers in England and Wales.
Maxwell’s article also predicted that THT would need to take over other
Scottish HIV groups to remain sustainable.
news on the side
Zimbabwe deportations back on
Following a ruling from the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal that Zimbabwe
is now ‘safe’ for failed asylum seekers, hundreds of HIV positive
people could now face summary deportation. The move follows a High Court order
overturning the 2005 moratorium on deportations. Tim Finch, of the Refugee
Council, said: “It’s not as if the government doesn’t recognise
how dangerous Zimbabwe is. The Foreign Office describes the Mugabe regime
as a ‘nightmare’.”
Woman jailed for biting PC
An HIV positive mother has been jailed for two months for biting a woman police
officer in Bristol. Police were trying to restrain 33-year-old Nomsa Ndvolu-Kona
after a disturbance, when she scratched and bit the officer. Kona is already
serving a two and half year sentence for conspiracy to import cannabis.
How confidential are sexual health records?
The Department of Health has asked for comment on whether disclosure of sexual
health records without consent should be permissible. Since 2003, 10 people
have been imprisoned for reckless transmission of HIV and the confidentiality
of records has become a major concern for NHS staff and patients alike.
www.dh.gov.uk
HIV positive men ‘seek unsafe sex’
As many as one in eight HIV positive gay men are having unprotected anal intercourse
according to a new study. Though the majority of the ‘barebackers’
are seeking unsafe sex with other positive men (serosorting), in reality many
are having unsafe sex with men of different or unknown HIV status.
U-turn on volunteer lunches
Following a campaign by voluntary groups, the government has abandoned plans
to make volunteers on benefits pay for their lunch. Justin Davis-Smith, of
Volunteering England, said: “We’re delighted the DWP has listened
to the views of so many.”
Home Office slammed for detaining children
MPs have called on the government to stop detaining children as part of the
immigration process. Last year over 2,000 children were held. Liberal Democrat
MP Dr Evan Harris said: “The current policy is not only a gross violation
of children’s rights but it is not a proportionate response to the problem
the government claims to be addressing.”
Condoms trouble
A survey by the Family Planning Association has found a third had experienced
a condom splitting or coming off during sex. They advised the NHS to make
condoms of different sizes and shapes available. The association said: “Men
come in different shapes and sizes and so do condoms. Poor use of condoms
can have devastating consequences.”
Benefit changes will penalise disabled
The government’s Welfare Reform Bill that will replace incapacity benefit
with a new Employment and Support Allowance is facing opposition from disabled
groups. The British Council of Disabled People says that for the first time
disabled people will have conditions forced upon them to seek work which they
may feel unable to do, may not want to do or is in inaccessible work places.
These conditions could lead to benefit cuts which would lead to more poverty.
www.bcodp.org.uk
Pharmacos face pressure to cut prices
UN secretary general Kofi Annan met nine major pharmaceutical companies last
month to urge them to cut antiretroviral drug prices, and to speed up HIV
drug research and diagnostics for children. Company executives, including
for the first time representatives from the Indian generic manufacturers,
agreed to try and make antiretrovirals more affordable and accessible in developing
countries and address poor supplies of paediatric formulations.
Gay Nigerians ‘come out’
Gay rights activists shocked last month’s fourth Nigerian Aids conference
by calling on fellow countrymen to recognise and protect the country’s
gay community, pointing out it had been hit hard by the Aids pandemic. Homosexuality
is a crime in Nigeria and gay people face 14 years in jail or even stoning
to death in the Muslim north. Most Nigerians deny the existence of men who
have sex with men.
Positive Indians denied work and benefits
Of the 26 per cent of HIV-positive employees in India who disclosed their
status at work, 10 per cent reported workplace discrimination. According to
a new study, 20 per cent were denied benefits, 16 per cent were forced to
resign, and 10 per cent were forced to retire. 74 per cent chose not to disclose
their status at work fearing ostracism.
New guide on entry restrictions
The International Lesbian and Gay Association has published a guide to travel
and immigration restrictions imposed on HIV positive people. The easy-to-access
guide draws on recent, official information from embassies as well as first
hand experiences of HIV positive travellers.
www.ilga.org
