02 Sep Papua New Guinea’s Health Minister Vows to Introduce Legislation Decriminalising Sex Work
Sex workers in Papua New Guinea (PNG) are hopeful that following the recent International AIDS Conference (IAC), held in July 2014, Melbourne, Australia, Papua New Guinea’s Health Minister, Honourable. Michael Malaba, will keep his public commitment to introduce legislation that decriminalises sex work and same sex relationships.
In an UNAIDS led Community Dialogue Spacesession, Mr Malaba stated that he recognised that the decriminalisation of sex work was a key reform essential to tackling HIV/AIDS and that he was committed to reforming PNG’s “colonial era laws” which currently criminalise both sex work and same sex relationships.
Mr Malaba also stated that he recognised the stigma associated with sex work and sexual diversity in the highly religious, Christian-majority nation of PNG was a barrier to highly marginalised and at risk communities accessing education, support and treatment for HIV. He said, “We must remove the stigma. We are all equal.”
Mr Malaba’s commitment to advocating for sex work and same sex law reform follows PNG Member of Parliament (MP) Malakai Tabar’s call earlier in the year for recognition of the rights of people with diverse sexual orientation and sex workers.
Mr Tabar first publicly raised his intention to submit a paper to the government advocating for the recognition of the rights of sex workers and sexually diverse people in April, 2014.
In subsequent media forums, Mr Tabar stated that previous proposals to allow same sex marriage and sex work legislative reform had been “shelved between the Government Caucus and the National Executive Council” after outright rejections of both.
Source: NSWP