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August 13, 2008
PANCAP proposes the decriminalizing of homosexuality in the Caribbean
In an effort to reduce the increase of HIV in the Caribbean, as the Caribbean has the second highest infection rate next to the Sub-Saharan Africa, PANCAP (Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS) will in October present a proposed legislation to the Caribbean Parliamentary Council recommending the decriminalization of homosexuality and commercial
sex workers.
Dr. Kevin Harvey, head of Jamaica's National HIV/STI programme agrees with this method of intervention as he sees that if homosexuality is decriminalized there will be greater opportunities to reduce the infection rate among gays, as, he says, this cannot be done if they go underground.
Director of PANCAP, Carl Browne said that he is aware that a number of the territories in the region have laws that discriminate against these groups and knows that it will be easier to get sex workers decriminalized than homosexuality.
He also recognises that even if the Attorneys General agree to the proposal, what happens at the regional level cannot be dictated in individual countries.