HIV-positive Indian workers march through Delhi in a bid to win more funds for health programmes on 4 May

Some 90% of gay men in the Asia-Pacific region are denied access to HIV/Aids help because of discriminatory laws in many states, a UN-backed report says.

Almost half the region's countries criminalise gay male sex and the report says this is worsening a situation in which infection rates are climbing.

Repressive laws "often take on the force of vigilantism", it argues.

Governments were urged to reform legal systems and policing to ensure an effective response to the crisis.

The report, produced jointly by the UN Development Programme and the Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health, noted that several countries including Nepal, India, the Philippines and South Korea had brought in new laws and policies to address the problem.

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Photo credit: BBC