Las políticas de drogas punitivas socavan la salud y el bienestar de nuestras comunidades en su conjunto. Sin embargo, sus efectos destructivos han recaído de forma desproporcionada en las personas que ya sufren formas de opresión múltiples e interconectadas, como la pobreza, la violencia patriarcal, el racismo, el capacitismo y la xenofobia.

Las políticas de drogas que priorizan el castigo y la criminalización alimentan y potencian estas barreras socioestructurales para la salud y el bienestar, lo que conduce a una distribución desigual de los recursos y los daños.

La reforma de las políticas de drogas puede contribuir en gran medida a abordar y reparar estas desigualdades, y proporcionar vías para que nuestras comunidades prosperen.

Con motivo del #DíaMundialDeLaJusticiaSocial, acompáñenos en un debate sobre el papel de la reforma de las políticas de drogas en el avance de la justicia social, y cómo la Estrategia del IDPC busca traducir este imperativo en acción colectiva.

Con Ann Fordham (IDPC) y Kunal Naïk (PILS).

La reforma de las políticas de drogas al servicio de la justicia social

HRI brinda un análisis exhaustivo de la provisión de servicios para reducción de drogas a nivel global, resaltando las innovaciones y barreras así como la necesidad de una significativa inversión. Más información, en inglés, está disponible abajo.

According to the latest report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), an estimated 11.3 million people inject drugs globally, while HIV prevalence is estimated to be 12.6% and hepatitis C prevalence 48.5% among this population. However, while 179 of 206 countries report some injecting drug use, 110 countries and territories worldwide have no data on its prevalence. This data gap highlights the need for more and higher quality data to inform our efforts to implement appropriate harm reduction services that can address public health issues, including HIV and hepatitis C, soft tissue infections, and overdose.

Harm reduction implementation has worsened since our last report in 2018, after having stalled since 2014. The number of countries where needle and syringe programmes (NSPs) remained level at 86, and the number of countries where opioid agonist therapy (OAT) is available decreased by two to 84. There are also large differences between the regions in terms of harm reduction implementation: while NSPs and OAT are available in most countries in Eurasia, North America and Western Europe, these core harm reduction interventions are severely lacking in the majority of countries in other regions. An unfavourable drug policy environment hinders harm reduction service implementation in many countries across Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and sub-Saharan Africa. Several countries have adopted more punitive drug strategies since the Global State of Harm Reduction last reported in 2018, including Bangladesh, Brazil and Sri Lanka.

Even where harm reduction services are available, there is often insufficient coverage and quality, or a lack of access to these services. Significant geographical gaps and an uneven distribution of services exist even in countries pioneering harm reduction or in countries where harm reduction has been available for decades. Rural communities are particularly underserved in many countries and regions. In addition to the geographical gaps in coverage, there are sub-groups of people who use drugs that experience barriers in access because harm reduction services aren’t tailored to their unique needs. These groups include women who use drugs, men who have sex with men, people who use stimulants and/or non-injecting methods, and people experiencing homelessness.

Overarching structural problems also negatively affect access to services. Criminalisation, racism and discrimination against Indigenous, Black and brown people results in low household incomes, unemployment, food insecurity, poor housing and lower levels of education. This, in turn, results not only in worse health outcomes for these communities but also in people from these communities disengaging or actively avoiding health services.

Women who use drugs are still frequently overlooked despite the complex harms, stigmatisation and structural violence they face. A substantial increase in gender-sensitive services is necessary to appropriately address their needs.

For all people who use drugs, stigma and discrimination are public health issues creating barriers precisely where more support is needed. Harm reduction services are equipped to address these gaps, as non-judgmental, communitybased service delivery is among the core principles of harm reduction.

La Situación Global de la Reducción de Daños en 2020

Kunal is the Harm Reduction and Drug Policy Advisor for DRIP, a Mauritian-based NGO focusing on empowering young community leaders on evidenced based prevention, programmes and policies. His advocacy work has focused mainly on HIV, Harm Reduction, Drug Policies, and Key Populations. He was the chair of the Mauritian Country Coordinating Mechanism (MCCM), which oversees the Global Fund Grant to fight AIDS in Mauritius from 2014 to 2021. He is a member of the High Level Drugs and HIV Council of Mauritius. Kunal is a psychologist specialized in addiction.

Kunal es el asesor de reducción de daños y políticas de drogas de DRIP, una ONG con sede en Mauricio que se centra en capacitar a los jóvenes líderes de la comunidad en materia de prevención, programas y políticas basadas en pruebas. Su trabajo de promoción se ha centrado principalmente en el VIH, la reducción de daños, las políticas de drogas y las poblaciones clave. Fue presidente del Mecanismo de Coordinación de País de Mauricio (MCCM), que supervisa la subvención del Fondo Mundial para la lucha contra el SIDA en Mauricio desde 2014 hasta 2021. Es miembro del Consejo de Alto Nivel sobre Drogas y VIH de Mauricio. Kunal es psicólogo especializado en adicciones.

Kunal est Conseiller en réduction des risques et en politique en matière de drogues pour DRIP, une ONG mauricienne qui s'efforce d'autonomiser les jeunes leaders communautaires en matière de prévention, de programmes et de politiques fondés sur des preuves. Son travail de plaidoyer s'est principalement concentré sur le VIH, la réduction des risques, les politiques en matière de drogues et les populations clés. Il a été Président de l'Instance de coordination nationale mauricienne (MCCM), qui supervise la subvention du Fonds mondial pour la lutte contre le sida à Maurice de 2014 à 2021. Il est membre du Conseil de haut niveau sur les drogues et le VIH de l'île Maurice. Kunal est un psychologue spécialisé dans les addictions.

Kunal Naïk

África subsahariana (DRIP)

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La reforma de las políticas de drogas al servicio de la justicia social

La Situación Global de la Reducción de Daños en 2020