By JUDITH AKINYI

The rate of drug abuse in our society is growing daily and the trend worrying. The same is happening with crime, which is causing overpopulation in prisons. It is also to blame for the spread of HIV and AIDS which is causing misery in families.

These are serious problems that we must deal with. Drug abuse is affecting all communities and people from all social classes.

Sex workers, homosexuals and drug users are the most vulnerable from HIV infection.

I recently visited Mauritius and I could not help admiring the zeal of the country’s people working hard to reverse the situation, which is equally bad there. I say thanks to the Collectif Urgence Toxida (CUT) conference organisers for the very enlightening lessons we learnt. For instance, I had not known about a needle exchange program for Intravenous Drug Users (IDU’s).

This is done in order to curb the spread of HIV by drug users who share syringes to ease their cravings. Representatives from Ministry of Health, police, NGO’s and other bodies supporting the program were all present.

It was amazing that all the affected groups were represented. The bi-sexuals, commercial sex workers, drug users, IDU’s, people living with HIV and Aids and ex-prisoners attended the conference.

How I wished that this was happening in my country. It is high time we face reality and help drug users to adopt healthy living practices. It is hard for most of them to stop addiction. Let us start focusing on how to help them. Many women in zingatialand are affected by the vicious cycle of drugs, prostitution, HIV and Aids and poverty hence making it difficult to reintegrate them in society. Most are street based sex workers and intravenous drug users with low educational standards. The fact that society adds on to their stigma makes them go back to crime and hence they find themselves back to prison.

It is worse when a commercial sex worker who is an intravenous drug user and HIV positive finds herself in prison. This is a person who suffers from multiple stigmatisation. Society treats such a person as an outcast. These are our sisters and the society must come up with lasting solutions. It is necessary for IDU’s in prison, suffering from withdrawal to be given correct treatment. In Mauritius those on hard drugs were being given methadone except prisoners. The users said it had helped them get off heroine. If methadone is helping there, why shouldn’t we try it.

If the needle exchange program is helping curb HIV and Aids prevalence amongst IDU’s, we should also practice it. Addiction is a disease and all diseases require treatment.