(Port Moresby)  Men having sex with men (MSM) commonly known as homosexuals will no longer be a crime if Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) criminal code is changed.

A group comprising representatives of various organisations has been working on the changes.

They argue that due to the current law, which prohibits homosexuality and sex work, MSM and female sex workers have been afraid of coming out in public to access health services.

They also said when that happens these people operate underground, contributing to the spread of HIV/AIDS in the country.

Acting director of National AIDS Council Wep Kanawi said in a seminar on HIV in Port Moresby that the reference group had been meeting for a year to see how they could amend the criminal code, which had been adopted from the Queensland laws which they argue were out of date.

Read the full article on unaids.org.fj.