A/HRC/4/110 page 15 III. CONTRIBUTIONS FROM NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS 41. In its contribution, the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network raised a number of specific issues. The first is comprehensive HIV/AIDS services in prison in Canada. The Network notes that it is well-documented that there is extensive use of illicit drugs in prisons in Canada and other countries. Studies have shown that HIV prevalence among incarcerated persons in Canada is many times higher than in the non-incarcerated population. The Network draws attention to the fact that there has been no provision of sterile syringes in Canadian prisons at federal or provincial level, despite a 2004 call by the federal Minister of Health to the federal corrections authorities to launch pilot sterile syringe programmes and for guidelines to be developed for those pilot programmes. A number of European countries, including Spain, Germany, Switzerland and Moldova, as well as Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and the Islamic Republic of Iran, have prison needle-exchange programmes that have been shown to lower the risk of HIV and hepatitis C transmission in prison, without encouraging initiation of drug use or posing a threat to prison guards. The Network notes that in countries where these programmes are well-established, prison guards themselves appreciate that they are protected by these programmes, since it is less likely, with controlled exchange of syringes, that they will be pierced by contaminated injection equipment during pat-downs or searches of cells. Sterile syringe programmes are available to Canadians outside prisons and the Network calls on the Government to respect and fulfil the right of prisoners to the same essential HIV-prevention service. The Network also raised the issue of government funding and support to mechanisms and organizations which have supported the human rights of vulnerable populations in the face of the epidemic, in particular women, men who have sex with men and transgender persons. The Network also raised issues relating to the human rights of aboriginal peoples in Canada, who are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. In 2005, they represented about 3.3 per cent of the Canadian population but over 7.5 per cent of new HIV infections. About half of new HIV infections among aboriginal persons in Canada are among women. Aboriginal populations in Canada face discrimination of many kinds and social and economic marginalization, all of which are barriers to effective responses to HIV/AIDS in aboriginal communities. The Network draws attention to a governmental pledge to spend Can$ 5.1 billion over five years on aboriginal communities, to strengthen housing, health, education and other basic services, among other things. According to the Network, the Government of Canada has not as yet allocated the pledged funds. 42. The Center for Women’s Global Leadership contributed a detailed report drawing on the experience of a number of NGOs.1 The report addresses the issue of gender-based violence and provides an analysis and a number of specific proposals around five propositions: 1 Action Aid International (South Africa), Action Canada for Population and Development/ACPD (Canada), Center for Health and Gender Equity/CHANGE (US), Center for Reproductive Rights (US), Fundación para Estudio e Investigación de la Mujer/FEIM (Argentina), Gestos-Soropositividade, Comunicação e Gênero (Brazil), International AIDS Women’s Caucus, International Women’s Health Coalition/IWHC (US), Latin American and Caribbean Women’s Health Network/LACWHN.