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Let me say in general that
one challenge with human rights,
is that human rights are broad statements of principles.
As we go forward from the days of their proclamation,
we have to fill in the content, the details of what those principles mean.
When you have big issues like drug control,
or sex work, and you have a range of UN agencies who are
dealing with different human rights,
you have to figure out how they fit together.
I will give you the example of sex work.
Sex work involves a number of human rights.
It involved the right to be free of trafficking, the right to be free from slavery,
the right to have a choice regarding decent work,
agency over your own body, the right to privacy.
So, does the right to have a choice to descent work
include the right to chose sex work as your work,
and have agency over what you do with your body?
Do states have a right to interfere with that,
because they find it is a form of exploitation of women?
This is not a clearly settled matter in human rights law or principles.
There have been some soft law,
that says that states should not interfere in consenting *** acts between adults,
and that would include sex work.
UNAIDS basically supports that position,
because we know that a punitive approach
to consenting acts between adults,
leads to those acts being done underground, out of sight,
and then you cannot deal with the *** implications.
Similarly with drug control,
there is the whole set of international law that is controlling illicit law;
and there is the whole set of human rights law
which is saying that every individual has rights,
even if they break the law, even if they are engaged
in some form of illicit drug consumption,
they still have the right to health,
they have the right to be free from discrimination, harassment and abuse.
So, there is a need for the UN system
to delineate much more clearly and in a coherent fashion
what are the relevant rights and how best to meet those rights,
given the different legal frameworks and human rights principles that pertain.
I think that is the responsibility, to some degree, of UNAIDS,
in terms of its *** issues;
but it is also the responsibility of some of UNAIDS’ co-sponsors
in their broader mandate,
for instance, UNODC.
What is the balance between drug control and drug rehabilitation
and healthcare support for people who use drugs?
For further information on Human Rights, ***/AIDS,
and to endorse "Now More than Ever: the joint statement,"
visit www.HIVhumanRIGHTSnow.org
Transcribed by Arielle Reid Subtitled by Hunter Holliman