How could I tell them that it's going to be okay? The impact of HIV nondisclosure criminalization on service provision to people living with HIV

Decriminalisation and the end of AIDS: keep the promise, follow the science, and fulfill human rights

“… 88–92 Criminalisation undermines the relationship between providers and recipients of health services, including by compelling disclosure of confidential medical and other sensitive personal information for use in a prosecution. 93–96 In many jurisdictions, HIV criminalisation exacerbates racial and other injustices, with ethno-racial minorities often disproportionately prosecuted and/or sentenced, and in all jurisdictions, the populations most affected by HIV—usually already subjected to infringements of human rights—are inevitably also heavily affected by the threat of criminalisation. 97–99 HIV criminalisation compounds gender inequality: women living with HIV may face prosecution for alleged HIV non-disclosure even in circumstances where disclosure or taking prevention precautions were not realistic options, while also contributing to increased violence against women living with HIV.…”

A Review of Empirical Studies on the Views on the Criminalisation of STIs/HIV Transmission in the UK

“…By contrast, the anti-criminalisation rationale has been based on the protection of human rights [11,12]. More recently, studies highlighted the deleterious impact of criminalisation laws (i.e., transmission of and exposure to HIV, non-disclosure of one's HIV status laws) on public health goals (lack of preventive effect or deleterious effect, [13][14][15][16]) the perception of the health and well-being of people living with HIV and relationship with service providers [17][18][19][20][21][22]. Globally, it is argued that the people most vulnerable to acquiring HIV are already subject to legal and social oppression and criminalisation of HIV increases marginalization [23].…”