4^th Symposium on HIV, Law and Human Rights
and 2012 Annual General Meeting

Thursday, June 14, 2012
Toronto, Ontario

• Symposium
• Annual General Meeting
• Documentary Premiere

4^th Symposium on HIV, Law and Human Rights
 

Thursday, June 14, 2012 — 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Churchill Room B
Delta Chelsea Hotel (Map)
33 Gerrard Street West, Toronto

• Registration

Agenda

• 9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
  Workshop — Scaling up Treatment as Prevention: Human Rights Imperative and Issues
  
  Recent studies confirming that HIV treatment also dramatically reduces the risk of HIV transmission have been heralded as a true turning point in the response to the epidemic. Efforts to increase rates of HIV testing and treatment in order to maximize population-level prevention benefits pit traditional wisdom around the “3 Cs” of HIV testing (i.e., consent, pre- and post-test counselling, and confidentiality) against a patient-centred approach to treatment decisions. Participants will learn about possible human rights violations inherent in aggressive “treatment as prevention” efforts and explore opportunities to protect each individual’s right to security, while still benefitting from this important scientific advancement.
  
  
• 10:00 – 10:15 a.m.
  Break
  
  
• 10:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
  Workshop — Disclosure and the Law: Emerging Evidence, Public Health Impact, Community Response
  
  Fourteen years have passed since the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that people living with HIV are required to disclose their HIV-positive status to their sexual partners when engaging in sexual activities that pose a legally “significant risk” of HIV transmission. A fresh decision from the Supreme Court on this issue is imminent, but meanwhile charges continue to be laid. Panellists will present the current Canadian context on the issue of the law and disclosure to sexual partners. Participants will learn about the issue of non-disclosure as fraud vitiating consent and recent legal developments, as well as about new research on the impact of criminalization on people living with HIV and also public health (e.g., testing, willingness to disclose, etc.). In addition, the experience of health care providers and specific populations vulnerable to HIV will be explored in order to inform a forward-looking response to the criminalization of HIV non-disclosure in Canada.
  
  
• 12:00 – 1:30 p.m.
  Lunch
  
  
• 1:30 – 3:00 p.m.
  Joint Workshop with Canadian Working Group on HIV and Rehabilitation (CWGHR) — Making Services Accessible for People with Disabilities: Human Rights Tools and Practical Tips
  
  People with disabilities are more vulnerable to HIV and more likely to live in poverty, and people living with HIV can also develop disabling conditions. This workshop will provide information on the intersections between HIV and disability by exploring the specific vulnerabilities experienced by people living with HIV and other disabilities. Panellists will provide an overview of relevant human rights tools — such as the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities — that should be the foundation of any response to these important issues. Specifically, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act will be used as a Canadian case study. Participants will learn about how AIDS service organizations, other health and social service organizations, and community-based programs can improve the accessibility of their services for people living with disabilities that are either pre-existing or HIV-related.

Registration: Symposium and Annual General Meeting

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Annual General Meeting
 

Thursday, June 14, 2012 — 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Churchill Room B
Delta Chelsea Hotel (Map)
33 Gerrard Street West, Toronto

• 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
  Annual General Meeting of the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network
  Register above

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DOCUMENTARY PREMIERE
Positive Women: Exposing Injustice
 

Thursday, June 14, 2012 — 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Signy & Cléophée Eaton Theatre
Royal Ontario Museum (Map)
Level B1, 100 Queen's Park (Southwest corner
at Bloor Street), Toronto
For more information: www.positivewomenthemovie.org

• 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
  Premiere of Positive Women: Exposing Injustice, a cutting-edge documentary exploring the impacts of criminalization of HIV non-disclosure on women in Canada. Run-time: approx. 45 minutes; Q&A to follow.

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