Report: Louisiana policies help fuel HIV epidemic

[DriftingCrow]

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/12/10/needle-and-condomcrisisfuelhivepidemicinneworleans.html
Author: Lisa De Bode Source: Al-Jazeera America

Human Rights Watch says inadequate state policies and police intimidation of sex workers contribute to spread of AIDS

Love's experiences with police harassment and sexual violence in prison partly explain why Louisiana's death rate from AIDS is nearly double the national average and the New Orleans metropolitan area has the second-highest rate of new HIV infections in the United States[. . .]

McLemore said other police departments have already stopped the harmful practice of seizing condoms and have understood their potential to help prevent the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) in Washington, D.C., now distributes leaflets or "condom awareness cards" to community workers and transgender advocacy groups to raise awareness about rights.