Following initial denials that the disease was a problem in China, Beijing has now taken a more proactive role in addressing the spread of HIV/AIDS. But many tensions remain, some left over from the period of denial. Wan and his organization exposed the spread of HIV through widespread commercial transactions in blood, and supported those infected in seeking redress and compensation. His talk will outline this history, and discuss current government controls and monitoring of HIV/AIDS activists, as well as human rights violations committed against these activists and those infected with HIV through official negligence.

Wan Yanhai graduated from Shanghai Medical University School of Public Health 1994. He worked at the China National Health Education Institute in Beijing. In 1994, he founded the Beijing Aizhi Action Project, an independent NGO working on issues around HIV/AIDS. This project subsequently became the Beijing Aizhixing Institute, which works on HIV/AIDS, health and human rights, engaging with marginalized groups that official programs often do not reach. Dr. Wan is now a visitor at the Centre for Chinese Research.

Sponsor: Centre for Chinese Research and Amnesty International UBC