Overview
Samoa’s Crimes Act 2013 does not include any HIV-specific law.
In 2017, the Ministry of Health’s National HIV, AIDS and STI Policy 2017-2022 did not recommend or endorse legislative measures to criminalise unintentional HIV transmission; viewing such measures as a threat to public health.
There have been no known HIV criminalisation cases in Samoa, which had only 11 diagnosed people living with HIV as at 2017 (of 24 cases diagnosed in Samoa ever).
Acknowledgements
Our thanks to Australian law firm Hall & Wilcox for their research assistance to confirm current relevant legislation.
HIV Justice Network's Positive Destinations
Visit the Samoa page on Positive Destinations for information on regulations that restrict entry, stay, and residency based on HIV-positive status, as well as access to HIV treatment for non-nationals.
