The HIV Legal Network (formerly the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network) is

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

's leading

advocacy organization Advocacy groups, also known as interest groups, special interest groups, lobbying groups or pressure groups use various forms of advocacy in order to influence public opinion and ultimately policy. They play an important role in the developm ...

working on the legal and

human rights Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...

issues raised by

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

and

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

. The organization actively promotes the human rights of people living with and vulnerable to

HIV and AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

, in Canada and internationally, through

research Research is "creativity, creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular att ...

and analysis, advocacy and

litigation - A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil actio ...

, public education, and

community mobilization Community mobilization is an attempt to bring both human and non-human resources together to undertake developmental activities in order to achieve sustainable development. Process Community mobilization is a process through which action is s ...

. The organization was founded in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, Canada, in 1992, by human rights lawyers Ralf Jürgens, David Patterson, David Thompson, and Norman Halde. It is currently located in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada.

Issues

Unjust laws and policies and violations of

continue to worsen the impact of HIV and AIDS. The Legal Network's mandate focuses on ensuring that the human rights of people living with and affected by HIV and AIDS are respected, protected, and fulfilled; and that

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

and

international law International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...

s and policies facilitate

HIV prevention HIV prevention refers to practices that aim to prevent the spread of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). HIV prevention practices may be undertaken by individuals to protect their own health and the health of those in their community, or may ...

efforts, as well as care, treatment, and support for people living with HIV and AIDS. While the Legal Network is based in Canada, their work extends around the world, wherever human rights are threatened, including the rights of LGBTQ people. Recently, the Legal Network launched a new fund, the Caribbean Can Rainbow Fund, to benefit this important work in the Caribbean. The organization's research, analysis, education, and advocacy touches on a range of issues: Aboriginal Communities, Access to Medicines, The Caribbean, Criminalization, Discrimination, Drug Policy, Immigration and Travel, Income Security, LGBTQ Rights, Prevention Technologies, Prisons, Privacy, Sex Work, Testing, Women's Rights, Russia, and Rights.

Publications

The Legal Network produces an extensive range of publications on numerous HIV-related legal and policy issues, including info sheets, Q&A documents, briefing papers, submissions to governments and other advocacy materials, commentaries and research articles in journals, and full-length research and analytical reports. The organization has received international recognition as one of the world's foremost sources of materials on the legal and human rights aspects of HIV and AIDS. In 1994, the Legal Network began publishing the ''HIV/AIDS Policy & Law Review'' (originally the ''Canadian HIV/AIDS Policy & Law Newsletter''), with approximately three bilingual issues published annually. In 2012 and after 18 years of publication, the Legal Network announced that it would be putting the ''Review'' on an "indefinite hiatus" due to a lack of available funds resulting from a significant federal funding cut to the organization's annual budget. The ''Review'' summarized and analyzed current developments in HIV-related policy and law, promoted education and the exchange of information, ideas, and experiences from an international perspective around human rights issues affecting the global HIV response. Archived copies of the ''Review'' are hosted on the Legal Network's website and have remained freely accessible for download.

Films

The Legal Network has produced the following films: # ''Positive Women: Exposing Injustice'' (2012) # ''Consent: HIV Non-Disclosure and Sexual Assault Law'' (2015)

References

External links

HIV Legal Network
{{DEFAULTSORT:HIV Legal Network Human rights organizations based in Canada Medical and health organizations based in Ontario HIV/AIDS in Canada HIV/AIDS organizations Legal advocacy organizations based in Canada Legal organizations based in Ontario