MOLDOVA: International conference aims to improve HIV related laws in Eastern Europe and Central Asia

Record ID: 402654

  • Title: MOLDOVA: International conference aims to improve HIV related laws in Eastern Europe and Central Asia
  • Date: 20th May 2011
  • Summary: MOSCOW, RUSSIA (RECENT - MAY, 2011) (REUTERS) MIKHAIL GRISHANKOV, PARLIAMENT MEMBER OF RUSSIAN STATE DUMA, LOOKING THROUGH DOCUMENTS AT HIS DESK GRISHANKOV'S PHOTO TAKEN WITH RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN ON THE WALL (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) PARLIAMENT MEMBER OF RUSSIAN STATE DUMA, MIKHAIL GRISHANKOV, SAYING: "From my point of view, Russia does not have this program as
  • Embargoed: 4th June 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Moldova, Republic of
  • Country: Moldova, Republic of
  • Topics: International Relations,Health
  • Reuters ID: LVA20C8G7321TN7F7DDAW4Z8A3S3
  • Story Text: Representatives of civil societies and governments from Eastern Europe and Central Asia gathered in Moldova's capital Chisinau on Thursday (May 19) to participate in an open dialogue between decision-makers and people living with HIV to improve the related laws and environment in an effort to curb the epidemic on the rise.
    The event, organised by United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and UNAIDS, was aimed at persuading the Eastern Europe and former Soviet countries to review their legislation and policies and to make them more effective and more human rights-based, as the number of people living with HIV is increasing faster in this region than anywhere else in the world.
    "What we see is that the law and the way the law is implemented can become an obstacle to appropriate HIV prevention or access to treatment or access to care. And reviewing what are the main obstacles is going to be one of the ways to fight the HIV epidemic in a successful manner," Dr. Denis Broun, Director of Regional Support Team for Europe and Central Asia, said during a short break at the conference attended by more than 100 participants from 13 countries.
    More than 1.4 million people live with HIV in the region, with Ukraine and Russia accounting for about 90 percent of the new HIV infections. Many of the HIV infected are deprived of legal protection and proper medical treatment in their own countries.
    UNDP Regional HIV/AIDS Policy maker said the venue of the conference was not chosen accidentally, as Moldova could showcase hoe the introduction of progressive laws like opiate substitution treatment (OST) and good access to medication can push forward the HIV response.
    "There is also a great experience in Moldova of substitution treatment of harm reduction polices in prisons, because the prisons in this region are of much higher prevalence of HIV infection and much higher prevalence of TB, tuberculoses, an HIV co-infection. And the government here is really been at the forefront of addressing these issues in prisons, making sure that all prisoners have access, as much as possible, have access to substitution treatment, access to methadone, have access to clean needles," said Dudley Tarlton, Regional HIV/AIDS Policy Advisor in Europe and the CIS.
    Opiate substitution treatment (OST), often called a Methadone program, was introduced in Moldova in late 90s, to curb the spread of HIV infection through needle injecting drug-users.
    Methadone is a drug on the List of Essential Medicines of the World Health Organisation, and OST is supported by all relevant UN bodies as a crucial tool in preventing HIV and overdoses. Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia and Kazakhstan are in the list of the countries using the OST treatment and showing positive results.
    Doctors working in the program indicate that drug users become more physiologically balanced, less aggressive and as a result of the treatment need in commit crime diminishes.
    "The patients have become more "stable," and they are under our constant observation. They have become less aggressive. Participation in this program and the fact that they do not have to invent something to satisfy their "needs" is beneficial for their health and treatment of other diseases which they suffer from," said Consantin Birka, who is working in Krikova prison 20 kilometers North-East of the capital Chisinau.
    But many activists, social workers and HIV infected people said despite some progress in certain countries, much more should be done especially for vulnerable groups, such as injecting drug users, who account for about 60 percent of the new HIV infections.
    "Police treated me brutally and I experienced discrimination after I was diagnosed with HIV. They extorted money threatening that they would spread around the information about my disease if I do not pay money to policemen," Viktoria Alentsova, HIV infected social worker from Ukraine said.
    Russian government still criminalises and imprisons drug-users and remains unchallenged on OST treatment, though some disagree with the official policies and Mikhail Grishankov, Russian State Duma MP, is one of them.
    "From my point of view, Russia does not have this program (OST) as a result of a very conservative stand of certain authorities. I cannot say anything else, except that there are some establishments holding responsibilities for this field which are fiercely fighting against the (opiate) substitution treatment," Mikhail Grishankov said in his Moscow office.
    "I think there is some kind of understanding of the problem (in Russia), as we allocate money for it, but from my point of view, there are very serious mistakes in the state's policy in this field in the country which has more than 600 000 HIV infected people. These mistakes are obvious to me," Grishankov added.
    Organisers and participants of the Moldova conference are convinced the "dialogue" would provide a chance for civil society and government representatives to improve the situation of people living with HIV thought the region.
    Meanwhile in eight countries, women who use drugs lose custody of their children. Five countries do not allow opioid substitution therapies; drug use is a crime in six countries. Three countries criminalise sex work; two countries criminalise consensual same sex relations among adults.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register