Integrating Risk Reduction into National Health Systems
People who use drugs are often criminalized and stigmatized, making themsome of the most excluded from health systems. Yet they are among the mostvulnerable to HIV, hepatitis C, tuberculosis, and mental health disorders.L’Initiative supports the integration of harm reduction into national health policies– including access to prevention, medical care, and psychosocial support. Byworking directly with affected communities, it also contributes to shifting publicperceptions and upholding fundamental rights.
Changing Policies and Perspectives to Break Taboos
To accelerate the fight against pandemics, L’Initiative is committed to advocacy efforts aimed at promoting harm reduction among people who use drugs (injectable drugs, chemsex). For example, in Rwanda, it supports the Tubiteho project, which seeks to improve the quality of life for these individuals by incorporating gender and human rights considerations, shifting from a punitive approach to a holistic public health strategy.
Chemsex: A Challenge in Harm Reduction
With support from L’Initiative, the 6th Asia-Pacific Symposium on Chemsex was held in Thailand in November 2024. The goal was to foster synergies in addressing the challenges posed by this practice. Aligned with a harm reduction perspective, this edition focused on the theme “Pleasure, Policy, and Possibilities.” The event was organized by the Thai Institute for HIV/AIDS Research and Innovation (IHRI). Its executive director, Dr Nittaya looks back on the symposium to share its key points with us.
Ya-Fohi: Reducing Drug-Related Risks in Côte d’Ivoire
The documentary Ya-Fohi: Acting for the Health of People Who Use Drugs portrays the daily lives of men and women fighting exclusion, stigma, and health risks faced by drug users in Abidjan and San Pedro (Côte d’Ivoire). It highlights the measures implemented to support these vulnerable populations, particularly harm reduction initiatives. The project advocates for the enforcement of the existing legal framework and promotes the integration of this model into the national health system structure.
