Stepping up the fight to end AIDS among people who use drugs
By Olga Szubert and Catherine Cook
Funding and political support for harm reduction is in crisis around the world. If we are serious about ending AIDS and combating hepatitis, we must invest in services that save lives. As governments and donors are gathering in Lyon this week for the Global Fund Replenishment, we call on them to put their money where their mouth is, and match their political commitments with financial commitments.
People who use drugs face stigma, discrimination and criminalisation on a daily basis and are among the most vulnerable to contracting blood-borne viruses. Harm reduction interventions for people…
By Ardhany Suryadarma & Catherine Cook*
“Why would I get tested for HIV? Then they’d know I use drugs.” This reluctance is a common challenge Rumah Cemara faces in HIV outreach to people who use drugs in Indonesia. It is also understandable given the country’s long history of criminalising this population. In recent years, the number of people imprisoned for drug use has spiked almost two-thirds.
While less than 1 per cent of the adult population in Indonesia live with HIV, nearly one in three people who inject drugs have the virus, one of the highest rates in southeast Asia…
Harm Reduction International
Working to reduce drug-related harms, protect human rights, and promote lifesaving public health interventions.
