United Nations Radio

UNAIDS has welcomed the decision by the Delhi High Court in India to repeal a 150-year-old law criminalizing consensual adult homosexual relations.

Indian court's annulment of homophobic law

The Court on Thursday annulled the law, which criminalizes what it calls "carnal intercourse against the order of nature."

The Court declared that the law violated the Indian Constitution.

UNAIDS says oppressive laws such as this one drive people underground making it much harder to reach them with HIV prevention, treatment and care services.

Susan Timberlake, Senior Law and Human Rights Adviser at UNAIDS says the agency believes the decision of the Delhi High Court will serve as a precedent throughout the world.

"At present there are some 80 countries that make homosexual acts illegal and in almost all of these countries both the law and the homophobia that often is also present in the country results in both the denial of human rights of men who have sex with men, transgendered people and lesbians but also in the denial of health care services that they desperately need in the world of HIV."

The agency urges all governments to ensure full respect for the human rights of men who have sex with men, lesbians and transgender people by repealing laws that prohibit sexual acts between consenting adults in private.

Bissera Kostova, United Nations.

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