Treading the path to human rights: Gender, substance use and welfare states

The interdisciplinary conference Treading the Path to Human Rights. Gender, Substance Use and Welfare States focuses on the current status, the changes that are happening and the future of policy and services to people with problematic substance use in European welfare states. Special focus is on the Nordic countries with regards to human rights, gender, harm reduction and the social factors affecting substance use and policy development. Discrimination on the grounds of race, class, gender, sexuality, and gender inequality will be on the agenda in line with appeals from international organizations and people using substances. Special emphasis is put on the necessity of mainstreaming gender into drug and alcohol policy, considering particularly the needs of women and LGBTQI people. The conference is organised by Rótin and RIKK – Institute for Gender, Equality and Difference at the University of Iceland.

The aims of the conference are to raise awareness of the importance of policy making in the field, gather professionals, policy makers, and other players to share their knowledge and views on policy development in the substance use field and learn from lecturers from European countries.