by Rex Wockner
International News Briefs
In a World AIDS Day message Dec. 1, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the world must "shine the full light of human rights on HIV."
"I urge all countries to remove punitive laws, policies and practices that hamper the AIDS response," he said.
"In many countries, legal frameworks institutionalize discrimination against groups most at risk. Yet discrimination against sex workers, drug users and men who have sex with men only fuels the epidemic and prevents cost-effective interventions.
"We must ensure that AIDS responses are based on evidence, not ideology, and reach those most in need and most affected."