On Friday, after three days of debate during a health forum, representatives at health associations urged several countries in Asia to take the necessary steps in order to decriminalize homosexuality.

The representatives at the organizations stated that other countries should follow China’s example, which made homosexual relations legal. Along with other measures taken by the Chinese governments, the country made huge steps in reducing HIV/AIDS occurrence among the general population.

In 2001, the government at Beijing listened to the advices from health organizations that called for immediate action in order to counterattack the increasing rate of AIDS cases in the country. Zhen Li, a representative of the Tong Zhi organization stated that China managed to significantly reduce the incidence of the disease.

The Chinese authorities invested in several campaigns that made homosexuals become more and more aware of the dangers on unprotected sexual intercourses. The government legalized homosexuality and increased the consciousness of AIDS among homosexuals, through the several partnerships with the civil society in the country.

Nevertheless, the state of affairs in other Asian countries is far more severe. The organizers of the forum revealed that many countries still prohibit sexual intercourses between people of the same sex. Li stated that pushing gay men in “dark places” would make it impossible to fight the ever-increasing incidence of HIV/AIDS cases among these people.

Because of the stiff legal framework of these countries, it is virtually impossible for gay and bisexual men to get the right medical treatment, as doctors do not want to treat people who broke the law after all. However, in several countries, including India, some organizations opened court cases in order to make the authorities to make homosexuality legal.

A representative at the Hong Kong’s Department of Health revealed that the authorities have been struggling during the past few years to fight with a HIV/AIDS epidemic among gay population. He also added that the government would prioritize the funding of awareness programs in order to particularly protect the young population.