The 2016 International Consultation: Policing, Public Health and Vulnerable Populations will take place on 1 October 2016 in Amsterdam. It will focus on police work with sex workers, injecting drug users, homeless people, sexual minorities, and trafficked persons. The registration for the event will be opened in August.
The Consultation will be held prior to the 3rd International Conference on Law Enforcement and Public Health 2-5 October, Amsterdam. Participants of the event will consider and endorse principles to guide the greater participation of vulnerable populations in building safe, secure and healthy communities in partnerships with police.
The purpose of the Consultation is to promote best practices in policing and inter-sectoral partnerships to ensure healthy lives and wellbeing of vulnerable and marginalized populations (SDG3), and promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies (SDG16). Police and other law enforcement agencies, community organizations and representatives of vulnerable populations, government agencies, United Nations agencies and other international development organizations are expected to participate in the event.
The 2016 Consultation follows consultations on police and HIV held at the LEPH2012 and LEPH2014 Conferences. There is an increasing need to integrate HIV prevention programs with programs addressing other harms with the same populations. Further, HIV vulnerability is often secondary to other harms – such as gender-based violence, inequalities in wealth distribution, social exclusion, lack of job opportunities and education access, or being an undocumented migrant. A key principle of this integration is the involvement of vulnerable communities in the design and implementation of these programs.
Participation in the Consultation is open to registered participants at the 3rd International Conference on Law Enforcement and Public Health (LEPH2016). Places are limited. Registrations will open around August through the Conference website: www.leph2016.com. For further information about the Consultation, write to leahn@leahn.org