Alissa Sadler
Alissa Sadler is the Blog + Social Media Manager of the "HIV and Human Rights: Now More Than Ever" campaign website during the XIX International AIDS Conference in Washington D.C. Follow her on Twitter: @alissasadler
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Video: Sex Workers’ Farewell to Kolkata
27 July 2012
Sex Workers’ Farewell to Kolkata from Matthias Lehmann | Matt Lemon on Vimeo.
(Posted with permission)
[July 26th, 2012] Sex workers and the unforgettable MC Tini say farewell to Kolkata after the Sex Workers’ Freedom Festival concludes. Travel restrictions by the US government had barred sex workers from attending the International AIDS Conference in Washington, but they made sure that their voices would be heard loud and clear!
Posted by Alissa Sadler, 2012-07-27 | Categories: Kalkota, Video | Comments (0)
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July 26, 2012: AIDS 2012 Daily Summary
27 July 2012
A high point of the International AIDS Conference (IAC) for sex workers and allies occurred at the July 26 plenary featuring presentations by Cheryl Overs, a sex workers rights advocate and founder of the global Network of Sex Work Projects, and Debbie McMillan, an African-American former sex worker. Cheryl opened with the image of waves [...]
Posted by Alissa Sadler, 2012-07-27 | Categories: Blog, Washington, D.C. | Comments (0)
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Debbie McMillan’s Plenary: Making Waves: The Changing Tide of HIV and Drug Use
26 July 2012
The following speech was delivered by Debbie McMillan of Transgender Health Empowerment as a plenary address at AIDS 2012 on Thursday, July 26. Posted with permission. Good morning and thank you all for being here. Before I give my presentation, I’d like to invite you to watch messages from my peers around the world. Welcome [...]
Posted by Alissa Sadler, 2012-07-26 | Categories: Blog, Washington, D.C. | Comments (1)
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July 25, 2012: AIDS 2012 Daily Summary
26 July 2012
On the third full day of the International AIDS conference (IAC) in Washington DC, stickers started showing up on the water coolers asking “Where are all the sex workers? Not at IAC 2012!” The overall level of awareness among conference participants about the travel restrictions preventing sex worker and drug user attendance appeared to be [...]
Posted by Alissa Sadler, 2012-07-26 | Categories: Blog, Washington, D.C. | Comments (0)
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HCLU: We Can End AIDS – March in Washington DC
25 July 2012
Video by: Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (Posted with permission)
Thousands of activists marched for human rights & economic justice on Tuesday from St. Vernon square, the venue of the International AIDS Conference, to the White House. The organizers of the march identified 5 demands: to tax Wall Street and stop cuts to AIDS services, to aid housing and lift the ban on syringe exchange, to provide full access to services for women and LGBT people, to make Big Pharma accountable and to stop the criminalization of PLWHA, drug users and sex workers. We asked the demonstrators how do they see these issues – please watch the video and find out yourself!
Posted by Alissa Sadler, 2012-07-25 | Categories: Video, Washington, D.C. | Comments (0)
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HCLU: Stephen Lewis: How to Fights AIDS by Ending the Drug War
25 July 2012
Video by: Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (Posted with permission)
Stephen Lewis, a well-known progressive Canadian diplomat, the former special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, held a very powerful speech at the AIDS 2012 conference in Washington DC, so we decided to upload it for you uncut. He brings forward some very practical suggestions how to integrate the drug policy reform agenda into the blueprint for an AIDS-free world proposed by the US government. He points out that an AIDS-free world is an illusion without ending the failed war on drugs – and drug policy reform is not possible without mainstreaming our messages.
Posted by Alissa Sadler, 2012-07-25 | Categories: Video, Washington, D.C. | Comments (0)
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Panel: ARVs for Treatment as Prevention: Human Rights Issues
25 July 2012
With antiretroviral treatment of people with HIV showing 96% efficacy as an HIV prevention tool, the question of “treatment as prevention” is not whether but how. Implementation of this gamechanging intervention will require lifting structural human rights barriers to HIV testing, diagnosis, linkage to care, treatment, and treatment adherence. In this session, hosted by the UNAIDS Reference Group on HIV and Human Rights, conference delegates share their perspectives on the human rights dimensions of “treatment as prevention” in the company of experts from Canada, Namibia, and the UNAIDS Secretariat.
Watch these interviews with our panelists at our panel on Treatment as Prevention: Human Rights Issues.
Video produced by Nicholas Feustel | georgetownmedia.de
Posted by Alissa Sadler, 2012-07-25 | Categories: Video, Washington, D.C. | Comments (0)
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Panel: Condoms as Contraband: How Harmful Police Practices are Hurting Sex Workers
25 July 2012
Video of the panel discussion in the Human Rights / Social, Economic and Prevention Justice Zone on ‘Condoms as Contraband: How Harmful Police Practices are Hurting Sex Workers’
The session took place in the Human Rights / Social, Economic and Prevention Justice Zone on July 23, 2012 at AIDS 2012
Panelists included:
- Megan McLemore; HRW
- Sienna Baskin; Urban Justice Centre
- Acacia Shields; OSF
- Stacey-Leigh Manoek; Women’s Legal Centre
- Bamby Salcedo; Children’s Hospital LA
- Sian Maseko; Sexual Rights Centre
Watch short interviews with our panelists:
Video produced by Nicholas Feustel | georgetownmedia.de
Posted by Alissa Sadler, 2012-07-25 | Categories: Video, Washington, D.C. | Comments (0)
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July 24, 2012: AIDS 2012 Daily Summary
25 July 2012
The second full day of the International AIDS Conference (IAC) in Washington DC contained an interesting mix of science, activism, and vibrant sex worker culture. Sex workers and allies here were sorry that technical difficulties made it impossible to join the Kolkata Sex Workers Freedom Rally – at least remotely – in acknowledging 20 years [...]
Posted by Alissa Sadler, 2012-07-25 | Categories: Blog, Washington, D.C. | Comments (0)
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HCLU: Activists Interrupt Press Conference at AIDS 2012
24 July 2012
Video by: Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (Posted with permission)
Dozens of sex worker and drug user activists interrupted the opening press conference of AIDS 2012 in Washington DC yesterday. They emerged from their seats unexpectedly and marched through the room, waving banners and shouting slogans, such as, “No drug users? No sex workers? No International AIDS Conference!” The activists were protesting against the attitude of conference organizers, who had praised the US government for lifting the travel ban on people living with HIV – but failed to address the remaining travel restrictions on people who use drugs and sex workers, who could not attend the conference if they declared their status (See the article of Alexandra Volgina!).
More info: Drug users and sex workers feel betrayed by the organizers of AIDS 2012 – watch the video messages of drug users who could not attend the conference!
Posted by Alissa Sadler, 2012-07-24 | Categories: Video, Washington, D.C. | Comments (0)
