Activists in London, Paris, Nairobi, Dodoma, Seville, Mexico City
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MEDIA RELEASE Embargoed until 11am BST, Wednesday June 26, 2013 Activists in London, Paris, Nairobi, Dodoma, Seville, Mexico City, Mostar, Ohrid and Oslo take to the streets in an historic day of action to raise awareness of the harms caused by the ‘war on drugs’ Activists in 26 cities are taking part in the SUPPORT. DON’T PUNISH Day of Action on Wednesday June 26, to coincide with the United Nations’ International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. In London, the event was hold at the Old Palace Yard , Houses of Parliament, Westminster, London. Caroline Lucas, Wednesday, 26 th June 2013 (London, England)-- Over 100 activists wearing Richard Nixon masks today gathered outside the UK Parliament in London to raise awareness of the harms caused by the ‘war on drugs’, publicly launching the global SUPPORT. DON’T PUNISH campaign. The London activists were joined by thousands of colleagues in 25 other cities in a Global Day of Action today to coincide with the United Nations’ “International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.” (1) This day is used by many governments to celebrate the ‘war on drugs’ – in some cases holding public executions of drug offenders. The campaign challenges the dominant message of this day by highlighting that the ‘war on drugs’ is costly and damaging and must be brought to an end. [Local groups can replace first paragraph and insert their own action details] The ‘war on drugs’ has led to harsh penalties and the mass imprisonment of people who use drugs, yet has failed to reduce drug use itself or to stifle a multi-billion illicit drug market. Also, of the 16 million people who inject drugs worldwide, around three million are living with HIV and two-thirds are living with hepatitis C. People who inject drugs also account for one-third of all HIV infections outside of sub-Saharan Africa. Some 40 years ago, US President Richard Nixon launched a 'war on drugs' and was the first high-profile politician to coin this phrase. This 'war' has since resulted in the global repression, incarceration, punishment of people who use drugs, and has been used to justify executions, extrajudicial killings, torture, forced treatments and the demonisation of this population. [Local groups can insert their own quote here and spokesperson representative] “The SUPPORT. DON’T PUNISH campaign shines a light on the large scale damage that has been caused by the ‘war on drugs,” said Ann Fordham, Executive Director of the International Drug Policy Consortium, a UK based lead partner in the campaign. “It is time for policy makers to repair this damage, and to leave behind the harmful politics, ideology and prejudice. It is time to prioritise the health and welfare of people who use drugs, and their families and communities”. “Criminalizing and incarcerating people who use drugs has ruined thousands of lives and led to their discrimination and stigmatisation which in turn impedes their access to lifesaving health and HIV prevention, treatment and care services,” said Enrique Restoy of the International HIV/AIDS Alliance. The list of high profile people advocating for a change in approach to dealing with the issue of drug use is growing fast. Two weeks ago prior to the opening of the 23rd International Harm Reduction Conference in Vilnius, Lithuania, Sir Elton John stated in an AFP interview that he strongly believed that `injecting drug users deserved help.´ In the same week businessman Sir Richard Branson, a member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy told The Guardian that decriminalising drugs would not lose votes. The SUPPORT DON’T PUNISH campaign is a global initiative being led by the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC), the International Network of People who Use Drugs (INPUD) and Harm Reduction International (HRI) (2) END Notes to Editors: 1. The complete list of participating cities taking part in the SUPPORT. DON´T PUNISH Global Day of Action : • Bandung / Sukabumi, Indonesia • Bangkok , Thailand • Beirut, Lebanon • Bournemouth , England • Delhi , India • Denpasar , Indonesia • Jakarta , Indonesia • Kathmandu , Nepal • Kiev , Ukraine • Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia • London , England • Makassar , Indonesia • Matram , Indonesia • Medan , , Indonesia • Mexico City , Mexico • Moscow , Russia • Mostar , Bosnia & Herzegovina • Nairobi , Kenya • Ohrid , Macedonia • Oslo , Norway • Paris , France • Pokhara , Nepal • Port-Louis , Mauritius • Seville , Spain • Tbilsi , Georgia • Tuzla , Bosnia & Herzegovina • Zenica , Bosnia & Herzegovina 2. About the SUPPORT.DON´T PUNISH campaign The SUPPORT DON’T PUNISH campaign is based on the following calls to policy makers: SUPPORT : Invest in effective HIV responses for people who use drugs. • We call on countries to scale up evidence ‐based HIV prevention measures for people who inject drugs, including programmes that prevent the sharing of injecting equipment (needle and syringe programmes), and effective programmes for those with drug dependency problems (opioid substitution therapy). • We call on donors, UN agencies, and the Global Fund to direct resources to close the gap between the scale of need, and current levels of investment, for targeted harm reduction and HIV programmes for people who use drugs. • We call on international donors to fulfil the pledges they made to the Global Fund so that programmes essential for tackling HIV transmission amongst people who use drugs can achieve the required scale. DON’T PUNISH : Improve policies and reform laws that undermine effective HIV responses for people who use drugs. • We call on governments to bring an end to the criminalisation and punishment of people who use drugs, and to the prohibition of needle and syringe programmes and opioid substitution therapy. • We call on governments to ensure the provision of voluntary, evidence ‐based and human rights compliant drug treatment programmes and put an end to imprisonment as a form of treatment. • We call on governments to work with civil society and most ‐at ‐risk populations to gain a better understanding of the harmful impacts of drug laws and policies, and to develop programmes that are proven to be effective at stopping HIV transmission. Campaign Website: www.supportdontpunish.org Campaign Statement: www.supportdontpunish.org/campaign-statement Publication: Experiences of community advocacy and harm reduction programmes Facebook: www.facebook.com/supportdontpunish Twitter: #supportdontpunish Further information: [Local groups can insert their contact person(s) details] Ann Fordham Executive Director International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) Email : [email protected] Mob: +44 797 003 481 Enrique Restoy Coordinator: Human Rights Advocacy & Campaigns International HIV/AIDS Alliance Email: [email protected] Mob +44 7889 603614 Kaya Suleyman: Students for Sensible Drug Policy UK (SSDP) Email : [email protected] Mobile: +44 7508 113 585 Twitter: @ukckaya http://ssdp.org.uk/ .