NEW YORK (AP) — The head of the UNAIDS agency says that HIV infections are increasing among high-risk groups.
Michel Sidibe says that homosexuals, drug users and prostitutes aren't tested or treated because of laws that criminalize their behavior.
Sidibe said that 85 countries still have laws that criminalize same sex relations between adults. Seven of those countries impose the death penalty for homosexual practices.
Sidibe points to a growing conservative political climate as a cause of the repressive laws. He says that unless the rights of minorities are upheld, the HIV/AIDS epidemic will begin growing again.
More than 50 percent of new HIV cases around the world occurred among homosexuals. The rates among gays between 19 and 25 are even higher.
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