Bangui — The Central African Republic's penal code, currently under review, will provide for the punishment of people found guilty of deliberately spreading HIV/AIDS, a government minister said on Monday.

Speaking during the opening of a four-day seminar on the penal code, Justice Minister Faustin Mbodou said the law should be enacted to take into account the "necessities of economic and social development".

The seminar brought together magistrates, lawyers, police officers and professors of law to finalise a draft of the country's new penal code. The UN Peace-building Office in the country, known by its French acronym BONUCA, supported the workshop.

In a memorandum to a visiting UN mission on 21 June, the government indicated that HIV infections had considerably increased in the last eight years. From two percent of HIV-infected people in 1985, the infection rate had increased to four percent in 1986; 7.8 in 1987; 13.8 in 1996 and to the current figure of 14.8 percent.

Several women were infected with HIV in November 2002 when they were raped by fighters of the Mouvement de liberation du Congo, a rebel movement controlling northern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The rebels were in the country to support former President Ange-Felix Patasse quell a rebellion organised by the current leader, Francois Bozize. At least 500 women were raped and a UN-supported team of experts taking care of the women is currently considering lodging complaints against the rapists.

Bozize overthrew Patasse on 15 March, ending six months of fighting and forcing the Congolese rebels to leave the country.