Law, Ethics and HIV/AIDS in South Asia: A Study of the Legal and Social Environment of the Epidemic in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka

The rights violations against people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and vulnerable groups are part of a broader environment of social and gender inequality, marginalisation and discrimination in South Asia, which is providing perfect conditions for the epidemic to spread.

This study on which this report is based was commissioned to help enhance our understanding of the deep-rooted relationship between law, rights, the social and ethical environment, and HIV/AIDS vulnerability here in South Asia, as well as to provide actionable recommendations for legislative and policy reform. The findings have revealed a regional situation where significant human rights provisions exist, both in national constitutions and in ratified international conventions, but where there remains a serious disconnect between these provisions and people’s experience at community level.