Shadow Report to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in relation to the review of the 6th Periodic Report of the Russian Federation (E/C.12/RUS/6)

With this report we would like to inform the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) about the following serious violations of Articles 3 and 12 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR):

• The Russian Federation did not fulfil CESCR recommendations given in paragraph 29 of June, 2011 Concluding Observations; Russian authorities retaliated against civil society organization which called upon them to fulfill these recommendations. As a result, HIV epidemic in Russia continues growing. Nearly two-thirds of European HIV cases are now in Russia. Up to 1.8 million of people who inject drugs remain a group of people most vulnerable to HIV, Hepatitis C, Tuberculosis (TB), and lethal drug overdoses. Moreover, Russian authorities obstruct the activities of HIV and harm reduction service providing non-governmental organizations by labeling them “foreign agents”, which bares significant humiliating connotation in Russia.
• The Government of the Russian Federation does not ensure gender sensitive medical and social care for women who use drugs, including women living with drug dependency and drug dependent women with children.

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