Dear friends,

Abuse and discrimination often prevents vulnerable populations from getting the health care that they deserve and need. In this week’s update, we present a new Open Society briefing paper that documents acts of abuse in health care that rise to the level of torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment. We also discuss discriminatory laws in the Caribbean, which are helping to spread HIV among gay men.

Thank you for reading and please continue to send me your feedback.

Paul Silva
psilva@sorosny.org
Follow me on Twitter: @PauloNYC

Government Accountability for Torture in Health Care

International prohibitions against torture are usually applied to abuses in prisons, pretrial detention centers, and other places commonly associated with acts of torture. Yet, abuses happening in health care centers can also rise to the level of torture or cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment. A new briefing paper by the Open Society Public Health Program documents cases of abuse and calls on human rights monitors to systematically examine health settings to ensure compliance with human rights laws.

Download the briefing paper and learn more about torture in health care.

State-Sponsored Homophobia in the Caribbean

Under continuous threat of imprisonment and police abuse, gay men in the Caribbean are routinely driven away from the health and social services that they need. Unsurprisingly, HIV among gay men is a relatively hidden but increasing problem in the region. To address this issue, civil society groups and human rights activists met with UN officials and Caribbean governments to talk about the impact that laws have on the HIV epidemic in the region.

Read more from David Scamell.

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