The Lok Sabha [official website] chamber of Indian parliament approved a bill [materials] Tuesday to provide for the prevention and control of HIV and AIDS as well as to protect the human rights of affected persons. The Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (Prevention and Control) Bill was initially introduced [PRS report] in 2014 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare [official website]. The legislation includes a focus on confidentiality and consent in medical treatment and extends protections into employment, housing and educational institutions.

Combating HIV has been an international concern for years. In January the US Department of Justice filed a lawsuit [JURIST report] against New York City for revoking the offer of an emergency dispatch position because the applicant was HIV positive. In June 2016 a group of UN independent human rights experts said that human rights violations contribute to the spread of HIV/AIDS [JURIST report]. In May of that same year California’s governor signed Senate Bill 1408 into law, allowing HIV-positive individuals to become transplant donors to HIV-positive recipients [JURIST report]. In 2015 President Barack Obama issued executive order 13703 [JURIST documents] “Implementing the National HIV/AIDS Strategy,” which was intended to ensure successful implementation of the the updated national AIDS/HIV strategy.