SECTION27 and the Treatment Action Campaign join Health Gap and other civil society groups in condemning the Ugandan police attack on a lawful LGBTI celebration in Kampala. On August 4,…
The National Health Assembly, held at the University of the Western Cape from 24 – 26 June brought together organisations and individuals from all provinces in South Africa and beyond.…
MEDIA STATEMENT PATIENT GROUPS LAUNCH AMICUS CURIAE APPLICATION IN WESTERN CAPE HIGH COURT 17 June 2015 CAPE TOWN - On Thursday, 18 June 2015, the application launched by Treatment Action…
26 September 2014, Pretoria – Twenty years ago the then AIDS Law Project (ALP) wrote its first letter to the Minister of Defence and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF)…
Report Highlights how Privatization of Education Negatively Impacts Girls in Many Parts of the World Thirteen organizations today highlighted the discriminatory impacts of privatizing education on women and girls. The…
Following years of negotiations between the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and the AIDS Law Project (ALP) regarding the SANDF’s old health classification policy that excluded people living with HIV from recruitment, external deployment and promotion in the military, in 2008 the North Gauteng High Court settled the matter. Pursuant to an out of court settlement between the two parties, the Court declared such policy as unconstitutional to the extent that it violated the rights of aspirant and serving members of the SANDF to equality and dignity, among other rights.
Following years of engagement with the insurance industry on the issue of the blanket refusals to provide insurance cover to individuals living with HIV, SECTION27 is encouraged that a permanent favourable solution could be found soon. This follows the recent groundbreaking commitment made by the Association for Savings & Investment South Africa (ASISA).
South Africa is hosting the 18th Commonwealth Law Conference in Cape Town from the 14-18 April 2013 . Read what SECTION27’s Mark Heywood presented on the ‘Rising to new legal challenges: HIV and Human Rights.
SECTION27 has sent a request to the United Nations Special Rapporteur for Health, reqesting him to investigate alleged violations of the right to health against the State of Qatar. In October 2010, “MR” was employed by Al Jazeera English as a Senior Editor and moved to Qatar. Following severe discrimination and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment by both Al Jazeera and Qatar, MR was detained by Qatari authorities, and then unfairly dismissed by Al Jazeera and deported from Qatar in January 2011. The reason for his detention, dismissal and deportation was his HIV status. This is a direct violation of the right to health and cannot be condoned.
2 May 2012 On 1 March 2012, SECTION27 wrote to the organisers of the international AIDS Conference concerning severe human rights violations against our client, MR, on the basis of…
The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) recently demonstrated its continued support of “MR”, a SECTION27 client who has faced severe discrimination by the State of Qatar (“Qatar”) and Al Jazeera English Online (“Al Jazeera”) on the basis of his HIV status. MR was dismissed from his position as a senior editor at Al Jazeera and detained by and deported from Qatar solely because he is living with HIV. The ITUC recently wrote a letter to Al Jazeera calling for the company to reinstate MR and “play a leading role in working with the Qatari government to eliminate the discriminatory laws that undermine universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support and deepen the stigma attaching to HIV status”.
The letter and a press statement from the ITUC are available by clicking “read more” below. SECTION27 wholly supports these calls and believes that Al Jazeera must use its influence to fight discrimination rather than perpetrate it.
“Mr”, a SECTION27 client, has faced severe discrimination by the State of Qatar and Al Jazeera English on the basis of his HIV status. The International Trade Union Confederation recently came to his support in a letter that begins:
“Your Majesty,
The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), which represents 175 millions workers in 151 countries worldwide, is deeply concerned regarding the recent humiliating detention, dismissal and deportation of Mr, a South African Employee of Al Jazeera English Online (“Al-Jazeera”) on the basis of his HIV status. This violation was recently brought to our attention by SECTION27, a renowned South African human rights organization.”