Guyana: Activists Ask Caribbean Governments to Punish People Who Knowingly Infect Partners With HIV

On Friday at the start of a five-day workshop in Georgetown, Guyana, activists called on Caribbean governments to pass legislation that would make it a crime for people to knowingly transmit HIV. While the Caribbean has the world's second highest number of people infected with HIV, there have been no known cases where people have been prosecuted for knowingly infecting their partners. "There are current laws on the books, like causing grievous bodily harm to people, but we would prefer specific murder charges be brought," Dr. Maurice Edwards, director of the Caribbean Coalition of National AIDS Program Coordinators, said at the Canadian-funded conference. The workshop is examining topics ranging from legislation to discrimination, including practices that prevent HIV-positive people from passing medical exams and obtaining work permits.

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