victims and criminals? - accho 2010

8/10/2019 Victims and Criminals? - ACCHO 2010

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ACCHO

CACVO

African and Caribbean

Council on HIV/AIDS

in Ontario

Conseil des Africains

et Carabens sur le

VIH/sida en Ontario


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Criminals and Victims? 5


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Most infections take place when people dont know their

status. The reality is that PHAs have been incredibly vigilant,

have been incredibly cautious and fearful of transmitting or

passing the virus. The public perception doesnt reflect this

reality.


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Criminalization creates a fertile environment for HIV to continue spreading.

Black women are unwilling to come forwardyet there are all of those stories in the papersThere should be more cases of white gay menin the media but they are relatively few. Imnot sure whats the reason for that. But whatI do know however is, among Black men,those who are given the most prominenceare cases involving white women. SometimesI think there is an important sub-text therewhich in fact has always been there. In termsof relationships between Black men andwhite women, and how they are interpretedby white society, and how Black men are

interpreted by white society when theytransgress that racial boundary.

[P]erhaps poor white women withoutagency. How they access and use the

justice system as a tool for redemption isworth exploration.

I think part of why, why also perhaps moreBlack people havent brought it forwardis history . . . is history and experience ofracism with the criminal justice system. Andalso there is a cost to take legal action. Thecriminal justice system hasnt served us well,... . We have a history of that. I dont thinkBlack people are going to be quick to wantto lay charges against someone else. And ofcourse there are all sort of gender dynamicsin that as well, based on the nature ofrelationships.

We expect people to just go and disclose,without really helping them understand whatthe process of disclosure looks like. If youhear Public Health calls you, to say you justtested HIV positive, and a couple weeks laterthey are following you. Have you told yoursexual partners, can we contact and follow-up, and stuff like that. Not recognizing thatdisclosure is a process, its a process thatworks well when people have dealt with thelosses that surround an HIV diagnosis. Whenthey have come to accept that they are HIVpositive and willing to actually move forward.And this is a state that can take years.


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victims and criminals? - accho 2010

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