A report on four Asian countries has shown HIV-affected women and children cry for stronger legal instruments to protect their rights in health care settings.

Strong evidence from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Nepal reveals that some health care institutions are sites of discrimination, violence and abuse towards HIV-affected women and girls who seek service, according to the report launched here on Thursday at the ongoing 11th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP11).

The report was jointly produced by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation in Law (SAARCLAW) and Women of the Asia Pacific Plus (WAP+).

There are only a few laws or legal mechanisms that women can use to protect their rights in health care settings, despite that equality under the law is guaranteed and gender-based discrimination prohibited by constitutions in all four countries, it said.

Some existing laws in this respect "lack effective implementation measures or penalties," according to the report.

"This research shows that large numbers of women whose rights have been violated at health care settings do not have any recourse to justice," said Clifton Cortez, UNDP Team Leader for HIV, Health and Development in Asia and the Pacific.

The report calls for a comprehensive body of national and local legislation that "provides a detailed definition of discrimination " and "sets out sanctions and penalties for health care practitioners who violate the law."

Also, legislation that specifically explains protocols relating to confidentiality and informed consent regarding HIV testing is also in dire need, it said.

The ICAAP11, with the theme of "Asia/Pacific Reaching Triple Zero: Investing in Innovation," will last through Friday.

"Triple zero" refers to UNAIDS' vision of achieving zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. Endi

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