News

CHLP presents at AIDS 2008 - the XVII International AIDS Conference

July 3, 2008

CHLP Executive Director Catherine Hanssens represented CHLP on four separate topics at the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City, August 3-8, 2008.

The first of these, entitled "Challenges in Democratizing Access to HIV Legal Advocacy Resources," was part of a poster and panel discussion session entitled "Do You Know Your (Human) Rights?" CHLP's contribution addressed the strategic importance, and challenges, of creating an internationally-available, multi-lingual web-based resource center on HIV legal, human rights, and policy issues to support the work of community and legal advocates. Two other poster exhibitions, "Sexual Health Care for Youth in State Custody as a Human Right: The Teen SENSE Project" and "Who Decides? Balancing Rights in Perinatal HIV Testing, Prophylaxis, and Treatment," were selected for poster exhibitions and generated considerable interest and discussion.

Finally, as a participant in the International AIDS Conference’s first Human Rights Networking Zone, CHLP produced a “hot topics” debate on the impact of HIV counseling and documented informed consent on the HIV diagnosis and care of marginalized populations. Panel participants included Adele Webb, Executive Director of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (ANAC), Linda Valleroy, of the CDC, Walt Senterfitt, a nurse, epidemiologist and long-time HIV activist, and Ronda Goldfein, Executive Director of the AIDS Law Project of PA; Catherine Hanssens introduced and moderated the debate among panel and audience members.