Structural changes in law and public policy around the world could almost halve the incidence of HIV, lowering it from 2.1 million to 1.2 million new infections a year, says a new report.1

“Punitive laws and human rights abuses are costing lives, wasting money, and stifling the global AIDS response,” said the Global Commission on HIV and the Law in its report, released on Monday 9 July. The commission is an independent body created by the United Nations’ joint programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) and the UN Development Programme.

The report calls for an end to laws that criminalise the transmission of HIV, which currently …