Throughout its long history, leprosy has been one of the world’s most misunderstood and stigmatizing diseases. Over the centuries, countless millions afflicted by leprosy have been shunned by their fellow human beings in the belief that they are cursed with a highly contagious, disabling, untreatable disease.

Thanks to modern chemotherapy, leprosy, or Hansen’s disease, is now completely curable. With early diagnosis and treatment, it is not disabling. Nor is leprosy highly transmissible. There is no need to isolate anyone with the disease, exclude him or her from their place of work or ban them from public office.

But old images of leprosy die hard and continue to shape popular perceptions of the disease—perceptions reinforced by stigmatizing terminology. For those that are the object of such prejudice, the social, economic and psychological consequences can be devastating.

Helping to perpetuate these outdated stereotypes are various laws, customs and regulations that discriminate against people affected by leprosy in different parts of the world.

There are no medical grounds for segregating or otherwise singling out a person affected by leprosy. Therefore, any laws that sanction such practices are without foundation.

We call for the abolition of all laws that discriminate on the basis of leprosy, we condemn all acts of discrimination against people affected by leprosy and we support the right of people affected by leprosy to live in dignity enjoying all their basic human rights.

Signatories of Global Appeal 2013 (as of December 25, 2012)

Austria	Austrian Bar
Argentina	Colegio de Abogados de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires
Bahamas	Bahamas Bar Association
Bangladesh	National Bar Association of Bangladesh
Belgium	Nederlandse Orde van Advocaten bij de Balie te Brussel (NOAB)
Brazil	The Brazilian Bar Association
	CESA – Centro de Estudos das Sociedades de Advogados
Canada	Canadian Bar Association
Czech Republic	Czech Bar Association
Cyprus	Cyprus Bar Association
Denmark	The Danish Bar and Law Society
England and Wales	Bar Council of England and Wales
	The Law Society of England and Wales
Estonia	Estonian Bar Association
Europe	Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe
Finland	Finnish Bar Association
France	Paris Bar
Germany	German Bar Association- DAV
Ghana	Ghana Bar Association
Hong Kong	Hong Kong Bar Association
Hungary	Hungarian Bar Association
India	Society of Indian Law Firms
Indonesia	Indonesian Advocates Association (PERADI)
Ireland	The Law Society of Ireland
Turkey	Istanbul Bar Association
Japan	Japan Federation of Bar Associations
	Tokyo Bar Association
Korea	Korean Bar Association
Malaysia	Bar Council Malaysia
Namibia	Law Society of Namibia
Netherlands	Amsterdam Bar Association
New Zealand	New Zealand Bar Association
Nigeria	Nigerian Bar Association
Northern Ireland	The General Council of the Bar of Northern Ireland
	Law Society of Northern Ireland
Poland	Supreme Bar Council/Warsaw
	National Council for Legal Advisers in Poland
Scotland	Law Society of Scotland
Singapore	The Law Society of Singapore
Slovak Republic	Slovak Bar Association
South Africa	Law Society of South Africa
Spain	Valencia Bar Association
Sweden	The Swedish Bar Association
Uganda	Uganda Law Society
Ukraine	Ukrainian Bar Association
Zambia	Law Association of Zambia
Total: 40 countires, 1 region, 46 associations