Fanning the Flames. How Human Rights Abuses are Fueling the AIDs Epidemic in Kazakhstan

Human Rights Watch's research suggests that police arrest injection drug users and sex workers not for specific illicit acts, but primarily because of their status as drug users and sex workers. The resulting marginalization increases their vulnerability to HIV/AIDS. The police force, which is generally repressive and routinely violates the rights of detainees, is especially brutal with these stigmatized persons.