Aizhixing Institute of Health Education

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Aizhixing Institute of Health Education
Formation1994;30 years ago (1994)
Founder Hu Jia
Wan Yanhai
Headquarters Beijing, China
Website http://www.aizhi.org

The Aizhixing Institute of Health Education is a non-profit organization based in Beijing, China, which focuses on education about and spreading awareness of HIV/AIDS, as well as HIV/AIDS research and programs serving HIV-positive individuals.

Contents

The organization was founded in March 1994 by Wan Yanhai, and was originally called the AIZHI Action Project. [1] It adopted its current name in 2002. [2]

Services

At the time of its founding, AIZHI Action Project focused primarily on preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS, providing education on age and sex, fighting discrimination of HIV-positive individuals and advocating for the LGBT community in China. [1] [3]

By 2003, services had expanded to include financial assistance and legal aid, and education programs were targeted towards specific demographics, including drug users, the LGBT community, migrant workers, sex workers, and students. [1]

History

AIZHI Action Project was initially based at Beijing University, but was shut down after authorities pressured the university. [4]

In 2000, the group published the work of Gao Yaojie, who was attempting to bring attention to the Bloodhead scandal in Henan. [5]

The organization was officially banned by the government on 1 July, 2002. [3] Founder Wan Yanhai registered AIZHI with the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, allowing it to reopen as a business rather than a non-profit, for which registration was more difficult. [4] [5]

In September 2003, the non-profit released a report describing how "the Chinese government...actively hindered progress towards halting the [AIDS] epidemic, denied people access to treatment and care, prevented the exchange of information on HIV/AIDS, and promoted unlawfulness and corruption in many parts of the country". [6]

In December 2004, Aizhixing and the Shanghai University School of Law co-organized a conference on AIDS, law and human rights, which was held in Shanghai. [7]

After a 2005 law was passed that limited NGO activities, the group renamed itself the Beijing Aizhixing Information Consulting Center. [8]

In December 2010, authorities opened an investigation into the organization, stated to be over tax regulations. [9]

On 11 March 2011, government authorities demanded the organization remove a letter from their website that implicated two government officials in "a blood transfusion scandal that led to an HIV/AIDS epidemic in Henan province in the 1990s". On 15 March, the organization's website was shut down by authorities. [9]

In 2012, the Guangzhou branch of the organization closed after staff reported police threatened them. [10]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Small steps on the road to averting a catastrophe". South China Morning Post. 2003-12-01. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  2. ↑ Hossain, Moazzem; McIntosh, Malcolm (2013-01-01). The Asian Century, Sustainable Growth and Climate Change. Edward Elgar Publishing. p. 147. ISBN   978-1-78100-575-0.
  3. 1 2 Bodeen, Christopher (2002-08-27). "Groups: China AIDS Activist Missing". The Edwardsville Intelligencer. Associated Press. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  4. 1 2 "Restrictions on AIDS Activists in China" (PDF). Human Rights Watch. 17 (5): 45. June 2005.
  5. 1 2 Kaufman, Joan (March 2010). "Turning points in China's AIDS response". China: An International Journal. 8 (1). East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore: 63–84. doi:10.1353/chn.2010.a378333.
  6. ↑ The Lancet Infectious Dieases (2003-09-25). "No more business as usual in China". The Lancet Infectious Diseases. 3 (10): 601. doi:10.1016/s1473-3099(03)00782-5. PMC   7128657 . PMID   14522257.
  7. ↑ "China: HRW Invited to Speak Publicly on AIDS at Conference". Human Rights Watch . 2005-01-14. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  8. ↑ Wan, Yanhai (2015-05-14). "For Whom the Bell Tolls: One Chinese NGO's Alleged Crime of "Illegal Business Operation"". China Change. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
  9. 1 2 Congressional-Executive Commission on China (2013-12-16). Annual Report 2013. Government Printing Office. p. 135.
  10. ↑ "Amnesty International: Crackdown escalates ahead of leadership change". Central Tibetan Administration. 2012-11-02. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
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