Rights matter: structural interventions and vulnerable communities.

This contribution includes a lecture delivered by Dr. Dennis Altman at the International AIDS Conference held in Bangkok, Thailand during the summer of 2004. Its main goal was to recognize Jonathan Mann for his commitment to the struggle against HIV/AIDS. Jonathan Mann is probably best known for his work with the World Health Organization and the publication of the two volume book entitled AIDS in the World. In this address the concept of vulnerability is critically addressed in order to expose how risk behaviours are intimately linked to the environment in which they are manifested. Therefore, structural interventions that take into consideration this context are urgently needed. These structural interventions can serve to reduce the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS and address the future of the epidemic without blaming those living with the virus.