The Forum for Activists against HIV/AIDS Scourge (FAAS-Rwanda), in conjunction with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), yesterday met at a local hotel to discuss on the draft bill on reproductive health.

The meeting intends to build a shared understanding on the link between HIV and human rights and to highlight legal gaps in the existing laws, as well as enriching the current bill on reproductive health with the HIV component.

"The important steps have been taken, and now the bill has been brought back to the lower chamber of parliament to be enriched before it is submitted to the upper chamber,” said Robert Turyahebwa, the chairman of the board of FAAS, during the meeting that brought together over a hundred participants drawn from parliament, UN agencies, ministries, national institutions and civil society organizations.

He added that the lower chamber of parliament will include the views of the group.

Among the items that were discussed include legal frame work and AIDS impacts improvement as per CNLS’s new national strategic plan 2009-2012.

FAAS was initiated by legal scholars who felt the need to promote and protect the rights of vulnerable groups, prevent HIV and AIDS and supporting people living with HIV/AIDS and affected families in Rwanda.

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