AIDS situation and views on AIDS in Indonesia.

On August 1 1, at the 9th International Conference on AIDS in the Asia-Pacific Region held in Bali, Indonesia, experts and representatives from various countries warned that at present, more than 90% of men who have sex with men in the Asia-Pacific region have no access to information or services related to AIDS prevention, and if this situation is not changed as soon as possible, the HIV infection rate among men who have sex with men in the Asia-Pacific region will increase rapidly. On Tuesday, a high-level seminar co-sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme and the Asia-Pacific Alliance for Male Sexual Health was held during the Asia-Pacific AIDS Conference. The theme of the seminar is "Breaking the legal barriers for men who have sex with men and transgender people in the Asia-Pacific region to prevent AIDS in an all-round way". At the seminar, senior representatives and experts from various countries and international institutions believed that the HIV infection rate among men who have sex with men will rise rapidly in the near future if urgent action is not taken to strengthen AIDS prevention intervention. Participants pointed out that the relevant laws of some countries in the Asia-Pacific region need to be changed and improved urgently, so as to facilitate public health institutions to establish contact with men who have sex with men, otherwise it will have serious consequences, and it will also lead to problems beyond the scope of men who have sex with men, affecting everyone. Officials of the United Nations Development Programme said at the seminar that in order to achieve the goal of global AIDS prevention, it is necessary to establish a reasonable and favorable legal environment, formulate AIDS-related policies based on human rights, and implement action plans for men who have sex with men and transgender people, including eliminating stigma and discrimination against men who have sex with men and transgender people. According to the data released at the conference, based on the survey of 15 countries in the Asia-Pacific region in 2006, the coverage rate of AIDS prevention intervention among men who have sex with men and transgender people is less than 10%, and according to epidemiological analysis, to reverse the upward trend of HIV infection rate, the coverage rate of prevention information among relevant people should reach at least 80%. Participants also called on countries to abolish laws criminalizing men who have sex with men, and commended the recent ruling of the High Court in Delhi, India, which overturned Article 377 of the Criminal Law. At the meeting in August 10, many participants and agency representatives also called on countries to abolish laws criminalizing same-sex sexual behavior, eliminate discrimination and give homosexuals more opportunities to obtain health information and services. At present, there are still 20 countries in the Asia-Pacific region that criminalize MSM.