UnMode (earlier RuNPUD) study ”Barriers to effective human rights activities by organizations and civil society advocasy in the EECA region in the field of human rights protection of key population groups”.
This study is devoted to the study of the specifics of human rights activities in the field of protecting the rights, freedoms and interests of people who use drugs in a number of countries in the EECA region. In particular, it addresses the issues of security of human rights activities in this area and the protection of NGO employees, activists and participants of initiative groups during such activities.
The study describes security threats, mechanisms for the protection of human rights defenders and the involvement of members of various NGOs from Ukraine, Lithuania, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, Russia and Moldova in the management processes of civil society organizations.
In a number of countries, scientifically based and community-based harm reduction services are used, and a referral of paralegals (people from the community who protect the rights of people who use drugs) is organized, advocating for the rejection of criminalization of individual drug use and possession and respect for human rights.
Such approaches have helped to reduce the burden of drug-related problems and reduce prison overcrowding. The arguments in favor of abolishing criminalization and reducing the stigma among people who use drugs in the EECA countries are obvious. At the same time, there is practically no progress on the issue of decriminalization.
THE STUDY CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE