Juventas provides direct assistance, supports the improvement of the quality of services, produces and advocates proposals for changes in public policies, develops the capacities of decision-makers and service providers, as well as the target groups with which it operates.

Juventas es una ONG que promueve principios de reducción de daños hacia prisioneros de la cárcel estatal de Montenegro. Juventas es la única ONG que lleva a cabo proyectos de reducción de daños en prisiones en el país.

Juventas est une ONG qui mène campagne pour l’application des principes de réduction des risques dans les prisons d’Etat du Monténégro.

Juventas

Filmed in fall 2017, the video itself is a powerful advocacy tool for Montenegro, and even though the length of the video is just 13 minutes, we managed to send a strong message – that Harm reduction in Montenegro works, and that it should be funded.

Juventas as an NGO started its work in 1996, and managed to be at the centre of events related to specific categories of people in Montenegro and their rights. Since 2004, we started our work with PWID and SW, and during the “golden years” of getting the Global Fund to fund our services, we have done really well. Obstacles were there, for sure, everywhere we went, but we managed to somehow work despite them, and we still do.

We showed the desire and effort to keep the program running after the departure of the Global Fund, when we were no longer eligible for funding as Montenegro had become a middle-income country. At that time, we were faced with reality – without funding, we were forced to close almost all existing services within our Drop-in Centres apart from the needle and syringe exchange within the Drop-in centre for persons who inject drugs. Fortunately, after a number of difficult months, our efforts paid off, and all our services started working again. The support of the Global fund matched with domestic funding for the next three years is conditionally provided.

In the documentary, we speak about our daily work, how we run our Drop-in centres and outreach work, what problems we are facing even after all these years of work, and what are the good sides of trying to make a change by doing harm reduction programs. Our clients had the opportunity to explain how services are meeting their needs, especially when related to peer workers’ support. In addition, the documentary also included an overview of our cooperation with governmental institutions, which has proven to be a constant effort aimed at improving the quality of cooperation that our clients will eventually benefit from.

Harm reduction in Montenegro

LONDON (2nd August 2016) – Civil society groups from across the globe, 

have called on UN drug control authorities to urge an immediate stop to the extrajudicial killings of suspected drug offenders in the Philippines. Since 10th May 2016, more than 700 people have been killed by police and vigilantes in the Philippines for being suspected of using or dealing drugs, as a direct result of recently-elected President Duterte’s campaign to eradicate crime within six months.

Until now, however, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) – the UN agencies responsible for global drug control – have failed to condemn the Philippines for these gross human rights violations committed in the name of drug control.

375 non-governmental organisations today sent an open letter to the UNODC Executive Director, Mr. Yury Fedotov, and the INCB President, Mr. Werner Sipp, asking them to take immediate action aimed at putting a stop to the extrajudicial killings.

“We are calling on the UN drug control bodies to publicly condemn these atrocities in the Philippines. This senseless killing cannot be justified as a drug control measure”, said Ann Fordham, Executive Director of the International Drug Policy Consortium. “Their silence is unacceptable, while people are being killed on the streets day after day”, she continued.

The open letter asks the UNODC and the INCB to call on President Duterte to:

Immediately end the incitements to kill people suspected of using or dealing drugs,

Act to fulfil international human rights obligations, such as the rights to life, health, due process and a fair trial, as set out in the human rights treaties ratified by the Philippines,

Promote evidence-based, voluntary treatment and harm reduction services for people who use drugs instead of compulsory rehabilitation in military camps, and

Not to reinstate the death penalty for drug offences.

Senior Research and Communications Officer

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Key data on the Philippines drug policy crisis:

President Rodrigo Duterte was elected President on 30th May 2016 and began his presidential term on 30th June. He declared a war on drugs in which both police and civilians are encouraged to kill drug user/traffickers

704 people have been killed between the 10th of May 2016 to the 29th of July 2016 (ABS CBN News)

Communications Office Secretary Martin Andanar said 60,000 drug dependents have surrendered to authorities (Daily Mail).

Statements by international human rights groups:

Amnesty International, 10th May: Philippines: New President should break cycle of human rights violations, not compound them

Amnesty International, 30 June: Philippines: President Duterte must break the cycle of human rights violations

Human Rights Watch, 25th July: President Duterte’s Mixed Messages on Rights in the Philippines

Human Rights Watch, 12th July: Philippine Officials Shrug at Surge in Drug Killings

Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates & Citizen’s Council for Human Rights, 14th July: Stop the bloodshed, human rights defenders tell Duterte

Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates & Citizen’s Council for Human Rights, 14th July: Extra Judicial Killings: Normalizing Criminality Under the Guise of Peace and Order

Drug Policy Alliance, 25th July: Philippines President Makes Good on Pledge to Mass Murder People Who Use or Sell Drugs, Calls for "No Mercy" in State of the Nation Address

Asian Network of People Who Use Drugs & International Network of People Who Use Drugs, July: Philippines: An Entreaty to End the Killing, to End the Poverty and Exclusion

Keep up-to-date with drug policy developments by subscribing to the IDPC Monthly Alert.

Over 300 NGOs call on the United Nations to take immediate action on the hundreds of extrajudicial killings of suspected drug offenders in the Philippines

Evaluation of a century of international efforts invested in controlling drugs, done by UNODC, showed that the system of drugs controlling and its application had some sideffects. One of these is lack of investments solving the question of harmfull consequences for public health caused by drug use. With global acceptance of the fact that drug dependence is a chronical, but preventable disease, but also a disease that one can be cured or recovered from, a widely accepted standing point is that measures and interventions directed towards achieving apstinence and recovery have to be accompanied by measures that can significantly contribute to decrease of risks and harmfull consequences of drug use. Today, interventions in the area of risk prevention and harm reduction are considered fundamental and necessary, due to the fact that there is a wide scope of evidences that can prevent disease, save lives and protect the community. On a global level we have a highly present tendency that the practice of drug use harmful consequences’ reduction is being spread and finds its application in the area of illegal, but also legal psychoactive substances use, as well as in the work of the law enforcement services. In the same time the concept of harm reduction became a mean to achieving golas of the public health policies, policies in the area of community security, policies of social protection aiming to decrease social, legal and economic problems related to psychoactive substances use.

Harm reduction approach and interventions derived from it have been introduced on a larger basis, principally as a response to a high number of overdose cases as well as fast spread of HIV&AIDS and other STIs due to intrevenous drug use. From the perspective of public health, subpopulations with a high infections burden have direct and indirect onerous effect on the society, and prevention can substantially limit these effects. The first effect is direct morbidity due to heavy forms of chronical infections, having high treatment expenses as a result. The second is reflected in the lost of human productivity, which increases social expenses. The third is high prevalence of diseases among persons who use drugs, which, especially if sustained a long period of time, can increase the risk in the wider population. Practice shows that harm reduction measures represent a noteworthy input to the conventional public health approach, can have a strong effect on spreading blood-borne and other infections among people who inject drugs, therefore the society in general. Prevention is feasible and effective if populations most at risk of acquiring infection have been provided with adequate services, in an adequate manner, in their own surrounding and in the adequate time.

Harm reduction measures, i.e. prevention and reduction of mortality, reduction of health and social risks and harms, as well as general feeling of insecurity of the community due to drug use,in most countries of Europe and world represent an integral part of national strategies and policies of fight against drugs, applied in different scope and combinations, dependant to drug policies’ goals. All European and international refferent organizations and bodies strongly support harm reduction as an efficient, evidence based approach to prevention of infective diseases transmition and treatment of persons who use drugs.

Harm reduction approach has been supported by the “Strategy of Montenegro for prevention of drug abuse 2013 – 2020”, but there is no unique national doctrine, i.e bylaws that regulates this particular area. Although there are the most important harm reduction services set in place, which proved their worth and necessity on multiple occasions, ending of a nine year long donation program of the Global Fund for Fight against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in July 2015, brought the sustainability of certain services into question and the same are facing closure. This is especially related to service functioning within the NGO sector, without which the harm reduction approach in a certain country can not be neither complete nor efficient, daily centers i.e. drop in centers for people who inject drugs and outreach work with most at risk populations in respect to HIV, Hepatitis C and B. In order to make services mentioned mentainable and developed according to growing needs, it is necessary to permanently secure their functioning and sustainability. Due to all things mentioned it is necessary to adopt this document as a referent conceptual and practical framework for further development and improvement of the national policy in the domain of reduction of harm caused by drug use in Montenegro, according to strategic goals set. Drug users’ access to adequate treatment must not be a priviledge, but a right coming from the fundamental right to health, as well as an obligation of every responsible system. Likewise, the possibility of access to programs and measures of decreasing drug related harm represents the right of every individual, which must be recognized as such.

Reduction of drug related harm in Montenegro

Civil society groups from all over the world have released a statement condemning governments for failing to acknowledge the devastating consequences of punitive and repressive drug policies as they prepare for a UN summit on the issue next month.

In April 2016, world leaders will gather in New York to decide on the future of global drug policy, at the first UN General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on the topic in two decades. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for this meeting to be a “wide-ranging and open debate that considers all options.” But as the preparations continue this week in Vienna at an annual meeting of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, it is becoming clear that the ‘once in a generation’ opportunity to rethink the failed ‘war on drugs’ is unlikely to deliver.

Civil society statement - The UNGASS outcome document: Diplomacy or denialism?

Fom October 1-3, 2015 a regional meeting of NGOs, policy makers and scientists/researchers from the countries of Southeast Europe, was organized by Diogenis Association in Belgrade, to discuss the UN General Assembly Special Session on Drugs (UNGASS, April 2016) and its significance for Southeast Europe. The meeting closed with the formulation of some conclusions relevant for the situation in the SEE countries.

The UNGASS 2016 and its significance for SEE: Statement of NGOs in South East Europe

Tijana Žegura, Director of Harm Reduction Program Juventas

We regret to inform you that harm reduction service provision ended in Montenegro on June 30th 2015 because Montenegro is now classified as an upper- middle income country and, as such, is no longer eligible for further funding by Global Fund for Tuberculosis, AIDS and Malaria.

Namely, with participation of numerous governmental organizations, National AIDS Strategy was implemented throughout a project named „Support to NAS implementation“, supported by the GFTAM and UNDP, CO Podgorica. Within this project preventive services for most at risk populations, were provided in community based NGOs.

Although one of the goals of 9 year long program was to secure service provision sustainability, our Government did not fulfill it, regardless supporting opinion of Ministry of Health and Institute for Public Health, who emphasized importance of these kind of services in community.

Today, Harm Reduction program is consisted of only 1 Drop in centre for PWID, while all other centres are closed, as well as mobile outreach program.

In cooperation with School for Public Health „Andrija Stampar“ from Croatia, Institute for Public Health of Montenegro gave an estimation of the number of people who inject drugs in August 2012. Data received show that 1282 (0.7% of total population) PWID live in Podgorica. In the same time Juventas provided services for 596 PWID in Podgorica- 

. Increment of number of persons who use Juventas’ services can be correlated to increment of number of people who inject drugs in Montenegro.

At the other hand, in 2014, Juventas provided services for around 627 PWIDs (15% female) and 157 FSWs in the city with 187 805 citizens, where lives 1/3 of total Montenegrin population. Through 5 191 contacts with PWID and 1 686 with SWs we provided them with 22 355 needles, 15 663 syringes and 16 330 condoms. We provided 1123 counselling for 293 prisoners during the same period.

Although the HIV prevalence among PWID is still low (1% of total number of registered cases), 

 and figures from harm reduction service providers show that there is constant increment of number of PWID in last several years.

Cost effective analyses shows that preventive services for one client cost from 6 to 10 Euros per month, while HIV infection treatment costs from 1200 to 1500 Euros, and hepatitis C infection from 1500 to 2000 Euros monthly on a monthly basis in Montenegro.

Due to the fact that the Government of Montenegro, despite supporting expert opinions of Ministry of Health and Institute for Public Health, as well as excellent recommendations of international donors, has not shown political will to secure sustainability of prevention services in our community, we are obligated to inform you that most services are closed on June 30th, while we are coping to secure funds for the next 

 with minimum capacities (needle and syringe program implemented by 2 persons). This means that we are going to be forced to close the only Center for harm reduction service provision on 

latest and leave persons from most-at-risk populations on their own, exposed to a much higher risk of contracting HIV and viral hepatitis C.

Additional difficulty that we encounter in our way to provide support for the services not to be closed is the silent campaign against harm reduction program among key- decision makers, carried out by NGO fellows working in the field of drug prevention, following UNODC guidelines on the issue.

Having in mind all said, we would very much appreciate if you are able to provide as any kind of support in the months to come. Please contact Tijana Žegura at: janap@gmail.com.

Harm reduction service provision ends in Montenegro due to lack of funding

The Drug Policy Network in South Eastern Europe publishes this quarterly newsletter in order to facilitate more regular communication between the network organisations and in general inform those who are interested in developments related to the activities of NGOs active in the field of Drugs. The Newsletter is prepared and published by the Diogenis Association, Drug Policy Dialogue in South East Europe.

This newsletter focuses on drug policy developments and harm reduction services in Montenegro, as well as in prisons- health care and in the documentation of human rights violations of drug users within the justice system in Montenegro. It also explores OST treatment in Albania and Aksion Plus intervention with IDUs, the the methadone maintenance therapy in Albania and the Global Fund in the country for two years

Regarding to Romania, it focuses on the Development of local answers to emerging HIV threat among legal high users.

February 2013 newsletter of Drug Policy Network south east Europe

During its annual meeting in Vienna in March 2012, the Drug Policy Network in South East Europe decided to publish a quarterly Newsletter for a more regular communication between the Network organisations.

The Newsletter was prepared and published by Diogenis, Drug Policy Dialogue in South East Europe, in collaboration with the members of the South East Europe Drug Policy Network. Each newsletter focuses on two or three countries in the region, for which updates are provided on issues related to drug policy reform, criminal justice, social and health programmes and human rights.

The first edition of the Newsletter provides updates on drug policy developments in Albania and Greece.

http://www.diogenis.info/index.php?menu_id=3c34fe9e-8120-11e0-822c-1c0ce76237ea&language=en

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