HIV and U.S. Violations of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD), HIV Prevention Justice Alliance (2014)

The Center for HIV Law and Policy joined a report on U.S. violations of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) through its failure to prevent and mitigate the burden of the HIV epidemic upon communities of color.

The report, prepared by the HIV Prevention Justice Alliance with input from CHLP, notes that despite promises to combat the HIV epidemic across all racial and ethnic lines, communities of color, and particularly LGBT people of color, are increasingly vulnerable to HIV discrimination, criminalization and stigma.  The report highlights:

·      African Americans experience a rate of new HIV infection that is 8 times higher than whites based on population, and for Latinos the rate is 3 times higher.

·      Unjust laws that enforce rampant criminalization, policing, and incarceration of communities of color LGBT people of color deepen and widen the disparity of HIV.

·      LGBT communities of color, particularly transgender women of color and youth, are “endemically profiled” as engaging in sex work and other sexual offenses.

·      Disparate enforcement of HIV criminalization laws in force in 32 states violates the “right to equal treatment before tribunals” of people of color.

·      Communities of color, especially transgender women of color, experience higher rates of unemployment and poverty, limiting access to healthcare, HIV testing and treatment and increasing the risk of infection.

·      The U.S. South represents the highest rates of HIV across the nation, primarily affecting communities of color. The South also represents the highest rates of uninsured people complicating access to medical care and treatment.

·      Communities of color and LGBT people of color face elevated discrimination and racism in the health care system, negatively affecting engagement in health care and resulting in poorer health outcomes, particularly for those vulnerable to or living with HIV.

The report was submitted on behalf of:

AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC), Chicago, IL – State/Local

Center for HIV Law and Policy (CHLP), New York City, NY – National

Counter Narrative Project, Atlanta, GA – National/Regional

HIV Prevention Justice Alliance (HIV PJA), Chicago, IL – National

National Working Positive Coalition (NWPC), New York City, NY – National

Positive Women’s Network of the United States of America (PWN-USA), Oakland, CA – National

Sero Project, Milford, PA – National

Treatment Action Group (TAG), New York City, NY and Washington D.C. – National

Women with a Vision, New Orleans, LA – State/Local