HIV related entry and residence regulations

*66 countries discriminate against people living with HIV - HIV related entry and residence regulations.

*31 one countries deport foreigners living with HIV+, and 66 countries are known to have specific entry regulations targeting PLHIV, including 16 countries in the WHO Europe region. During the World Aids Conference in Vienna several events and activities will take place to address this issue.

An updated edition of the booklet on entry and residence restrictions, produced by the German AIDS Federation (Deutsche Aids-Hilfe) and translated by various European NGOs is now available in 10 languages and ready to be downloaded.

www.hivrestrictions.org

2010 was a good year concerning the fight against HIV related travel restrictions. The USA abolished its entry ban in January 2010, followed by China who lifted its restrictions in May 2010 in the context of the EXPO taking place in Shanghai.

The European AIDS Treatment Group (EATG) and the German AIDS Federation

(DAH) congratulate USA and China for its recent change in policy but stress that many more countries should follow this example - and in particular call upon the 16 countries in the WHO Europe region to lift existing restrictions.

The 'global database on HIV related entry and residence restrictions' is a project initiated by DAH, EATG, International AIDS Society (IAS) and the Global Network of People living with HIV (GNP+) and it's just updated version shows that currently 66 of the 200 countries included have discriminatory restrictions in place. 31 countries do not refrain from deporting people living with HIV or asking them to leave the country based on their HIV positive status, which represents a huge problem in particular for migrant workers. The majority of countries with entry restrictions require mandatory HIV tests to exclude people with HIV.

Ready for the World Aids Conference, updated editions of the Quick Reference Guide have been made available in the following languages: English, Russian, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Slovak, Portuguese and Croatian (the booklets can be downloaded and are available under the "resource" section at www.hivrestrictions.org

Civil society calls for a European response to end discrimination

With 16 countries in the WHO Europe region having HIV specific restrictions in place and the World Aids Conference in 2010 to be held in Vienna, Austria, Civil Society and HIV activists reiterated the call issued by the EU Civil Society Forum on HIV/AIDS (CSF) in 2008 to have these restrictions removed by 2010. Just recently the CSF called upon the 16 European countries concerned with an open letter. (www.eatg.org/eatg/Press-releases-statements/Open-letters/China-lifts-its-travel-restrictions-call-to-lift-restrictions-in-the-WHO-European-region)

"The restrictions based on HIV status range from rejection of work and residency applications and study permits , to deportations as well as mandatory HIV tests for certain groups and populations in the country , like house maids, construction workers, sex workers and people working in the tourism industry, people arriving from endemic regions and returning citizens" specify David Haerry and Peter Wiessner, members of the EATG with a long-standing expertise in the fight against these restrictions.

"Exclusionary policies like these are a shame for Europe, they are a relic of a time when people where paranoid and little was known about HIV. After 25 years we know that HIV is not transmitted by casual contacts. It's time to change these policies. They should be based on scientific evidence and not prejudices", says Karl Lemmen from the DAH.

"European States and institutions should do everything possible to remove HIV related entry and residence regulations within its territory to guarantee that human rights prevail and the often inferred `European values' become a reality for People Living with HIV (PLWH)".

"HIV related travel restrictions contradict public health evidence, violate the rights of people with HIV and enhance stigma, discrimination and xenophobia", *says Anna Zakowicz, chair of the EATG.

Discrimination against people with HIV

*These following countries of the EU WHO region have restrictions in place:*

Andorra, Armenia, Belarus, Cyprus, Georgia, Federal State of Bavaria (Germany), Hungary, Israel, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russian Federation, Slovak Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

What you can do:

- Check the data in the booklets and the concerning your country at *www.hivrestrictions.org*

and send any correction or update to one of the persons mentioned below.

- Discuss the topic with your communities/peers, disseminate the information via your network.

- If you live in a country with restrictions, discuss it with your community, send a letter to your Government, blame it as discriminatory and ask for a rational explanation.

- If you are aware of any HIV related deportations in your country or if you have been forced to leave a country due to your HIV status: share this information with one of the persons mentioned below.

- If you attend the International Aids Conference in Vienna, participate in the workshop titled: "Changing your Country's Discriminatory Laws: How to Advocate for the removal of HIV-specific restrictions on entry, stay and residence" and takes place on Monday, July 19, 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. The roadmap is available here <http://www.eatg.org/eatg/Events/AIDS-2010-Vienna-XVIII-International-AIDS-Conference-July-18-23-2010>.

About the database:

Findings are published in English at the global database on HIV related entry and residence regulations. This database provides updated information from 200 countries, on existing regulations denying entry or residency for people living with HIV, based on relevant country legislation. Wherever possible the database provides personal stories and showcasing the mechanisms in place to enforce of HIV-related travel restrictions. The website contents an advocacy section, were materials on the impact of entry and residence restrictions can be downloaded. [www.hivrestrictions.org]

----
David Haerry and Peter Wiessner

European Aids Treatment Group (EATG)

Place Raymond Blyckaerts, 13 B-1050 Brussels - Belgium

Tel: +49 (0) 221 80 14 96 36

Fax: +49 (0) 221 80 14 96 37 www.eatg.org

----
Karl Lemmen
German AIDS Federation (DAH)
Wilhelmstr. 138 - 10963 Berlin - Germany
Tel: + 49 (0) 690 087 49

Fax: + 49 (0) 690 087 42 www.aidshilfe.de

----
Ana Lúcia Cardoso
Training and Communications Coordinator
European Aids Treatment Group
Place Raymond Blyckaerts 13
B-1050 Belgium
Tel.: +32 2 626 96 42
Fax.: +32 2 644 33 07
www.eatg.org