News release: Over 5,000 Police Sign Global Statement of Support for ‘Harm Reduction’ Approaches to HIV Prevention

by LEAHN Moderator on November 28, 2013

in News & Events

At the 11th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific, officers launch global call for rethink of policing to help stop the spread of HIV

BANGKOK, Nov. 20, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — More than 5,000 law enforcement officials from over thirty countries have publicly called for a rethink to policing, and endorsed a statement of support for ‘harm reduction’ approaches to drug use and sex work at Asia’s largest biennial conference on HIV/AIDS.

Initiated in 2012 by the Melbourne-based Law Enforcement And HIV Network (LEAHN), and with signatories from countries as varied as Thailand, Australia, India, Kyrgyzstan, and the United States, the statement is the first global declaration on HIV prevention supported exclusively by active and former law enforcement officers who say that draconian approaches to policing drug users and sex workers need to be revised in light of the AIDS epidemic.

“‘Harm reduction’ approaches to HIV prevention among drug users have been scientifically proven by public health experts, but cannot work without the active participation and leadership of law enforcement,” said Royal Thai Police Lieutenant Colonel Krisanaphong Poothakool, a signatory to the declaration and a member of LEAHN’s international police advisory group. “Without strong police practices grounded in public health and human rights, the spread of HIV among injection drug users — and to the community — will continue to be devastating.”

Read the entire news release

images Sign the Statement of Support for Harm Reduction