Human Rights

While nearly every category in the Resource Bank is directly related to human rights, this category addresses the importance of a human rights approach to HIV advocacy. Human rights are rights inherent to every individual, including civil, political, social, economic, and cultural rights. The human rights framework is vital to HIV advocacy because it recognizes the complex interaction of numerous issues, including social and economic rights, racial justice, reproductive justice, gender equality, LGBT rights, and youth rights. Moreover, a human rights approach uses strategies that focus on empowerment and the achievement of positive goals rather than merely the elimination of victimization.

This HIV Policy Resource Bank category provides HIV advocates - particularly those in the United States - with tools to take advantage of the growing body of human rights resources and strategies. This includes materials that outline and discuss human rights related to HIV testing, care, and prevention, as well as those addressing a human rights approach to protecting rights critical to HIV advocacy, such as housing rights, employment rights, racial justice, reproductive justice, gender equality, LGBT rights, youth rights, the right to health, patients' rights, social stigma, and more.