International Workshop on Drug Treatment

July 15, 2010 11:50 am

(by Caritas, Germany, Dhaka, November 3-5, 2008 – Suseelkumar, Newsletter April 2009)

‘Sustainability, Quality and Diversity’ was the theme of the International Workshop held by Caritas, Germany in Dhaka, Bangladesh from 3rd – 5th November, 2008. For over a decade Caritas has been involved in the sub-continent, rendering support to organizations working in the field of Drug Demand Reduction. It has aided in the development of strategies and approaches to drug treatment programmes.

The International Workshop had delegates from Pakistan, India, Indonesia, and Cambodia including representatives from local organizations in Bangladesh. It was hosted by Bangladesh Rehabilitation and Assistance Centre for Addicts (BARACA), a project of Caritas, Bangladesh established by the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of Bangladesh (CBCB).

The inaugural session was honored by the presence of several dignitaries — the Archbishop of Dhaka, the German Ambassador to Bangladesh, Addl. Director General, Dept. of Narcotics Control, Bangladesh, and the office bearers of Caritas, Bangladesh and BARACA. It was followed by country-wise presentations on the updated context of drug production, trafficking, supply and demand reduction in the countries represented. The situation in the Indian context was presented by Mr. Jacob Panmei, Diocesan Social Service Society (DSSS) from Imphal, Manipur. The presentation highlighted how India’s unenviable location between the Golden triangle (Burma, Thailand and Malaysia) and the Golden Crescent (Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan) inevitably made it the main transit point for drug trafficking.

I represented Sankalp Rehabilitation Trust, and presented two papers the first on ‘Harm Reduction: Practices and Standard of Quality’ and the second on ‘Advocacy in the Area of Drug Demand Reduction.’

The paper on ‘Harm Reduction’ explained the principles, strategies and aims of harm reduction and how it contributes to preventing the spread of HIV among and from Intravenous Drug Users. The principles and the hierarchy of harm reduction are used to show that harm reduction services such as needle and syringe exchange, access to public health, referrals, abscess prevention and management can all work with the same or similar goals as abstinence-based programmes. Harm reduction policies, strategies and activities are aimed at limiting or reducing the nature and extent of adverse consequences in health, social, economic and legal aspects of society.

The epidemic of HIV/AIDS among IDUs remains unresolved. There is a need to think and act in innovative ways so that new policies that respond to the pandemic are developed, especially responses to the stigma and discrimination that blocks affected people from accessing care and services. For these policies to come into practice, however, advocacy skills to influence decision makers are required. My paper on ‘Advocacy in the area of Drug Demand Reduction’ dealt with the various stages and principles of advocacy activities.

Papers on concepts and practices for greater awareness, networking and fund raising were also presented. These were followed up by experience-sharing, discussions and group debates. Each group came up with findings and recommendations to be integrated into a final statement from the ‘Workshop on Standards of Quality, Sustainability and Diversity,’ which was presented as the Asia-specific view at the Berlin Conference in January, 2009.

Delegates were accommodated at the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of Bangladesh Conference Centre. The participants had an opportunity to visit BARACA and observe some of the income generation activities, such aspoultry farming, fisheries, cattle rearing and cultivation of rice and vegetables.