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Condoms and AIDS information restrictions a concern

    JOHANNESBURG

    International rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) is concerned that restrictions on condoms and HIV/AIDS information are undermining global efforts to tackle the pandemic.

    Although condoms remain the single most effective prevention method against HIV, they face government-imposed constraints in numerous countries, HRW said in a report released on World AIDS Day.

    The 30-page document highlights censorship of information about condoms in government-funded programmes, myths about condoms spread by religious leaders, and restrictions on condoms in numerous countries, where police confiscate condoms from AIDS outreach workers to use as evidence of illegal prostitution or sodomy.

    "Governments should be promoting condom use - not treating condoms like contraband. The clear result of restricting access to condoms will be more lives lost to AIDS," Jonathan Cohen, a researcher with HRW's HIV/AIDS Programme, said in a statement.

    Access the report: http://hrw.org/backgrounder/hivaids/condoms1204/

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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