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How Repressive Legal Environments Inhibit the Fight Against HIV in Asia

A new report by the UN Development Program shows how discriminatory laws against men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people undermine the fight against HIV/AIDS in the Asia Pacific region. The report is thorough and exhaustive, but the gist is this:  In 19 of the 48 countries included in the study, sex between consenting male adults is illegal.  Authorities and vigilantes use the legal prohibitions against MSM to harass, intimidate and extort MSM and transgender people.

The Compelling Story of a Woman Who Survived Obstetric Fistula

By Yolanda Johnny Taylor, Director of Communications for the UN Foundation's Women and Population Program

Tuesday’s earthquake in Haiti reminds us how vulnerable women and children are - particularly in times of disaster. Poor and disadvantaged women tend to be unequally affected by natural disasters and are often overrepresented in death tolls.