Corporación Kimirina

Facilitators asked the following questions on laws and policies in relation to HIV to focus group participants.

Knowledge of laws

1. Do you know of laws in your country that could make, or do make, the response to HIV more difficult? Do you know of laws that could or do improve the response to HIV?

2. Do you know of any laws in your country that can be used to prosecute persons living with HIV? For example, for not disclosing they are HIV-positive, for potentially exposing another to HIV, for transmitting HIV, or for some other reason related to their HIV status?

3. Do you know of any criminal laws that can be used to prosecute people because of their gender, gender identity, age, employment, sexual orientation, drug use, race/ethnicity, or migrant/residence status?

Enforcement

4. In your experience, are any of these laws that were mentioned enforced? Which ones?

5a. How are they enforced?

5b. By whom?

Personal impact

6a. Do you know of persons who have been arrested or convicted under these laws? What was the impact of the arrest/conviction on the person’s life?

6b. Have you experienced or heard of negative actions such as blackmail, extortion, coerced sex, harassment, assault, arbitrary arrest, or arbitrary detention? Which activities? By whom? (not just law enforcement but community reaction, etc). What was the impact on the person’s life?

7. Are you able to talk more about what happened?

8. In your experience, what are the impacts of these laws and their enforcement on access to or uptake of HIV prevention, care and treatment services in your country?

Support and Solutions

9a. Do you know of anyone who has received legal services after having been arrested? Do you believe these services met their needs?

9b. Do you know of anyone who has been able to get help/solutions for an HIV-related legal issue through the courts or an administrative body?

9c. Do you know of situations where the police or courts have benefited from:

HIV and human rights sensitization?

Partnerships with affected populations?

Working with local or national AIDS programmes?

10. What changes in regard to the law, to law enforcement, and to access to justice would you make to improve the legal and security situation for people living with HIV and those vulnerable to or at risk of HIV infection? In particular, what changes would increase access to and uptake of HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services?