Posts in category: Publications

Informative material with harm reduction tips, detection of overdose, protocol of action in case of overdose and in the use of naloxone.

Content: Metzineres
Illustration: Maligneando

On the occasion of International Human Rights Day and the end of the #16days campaign for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the Metzineres are shaking our asses for our rights.

Organize: Metzineres (metzineres.org), EuroNPUD (www.euronpud.net) y WHRIN (whrin.site)
Filmed and edited by: Carmen Molina @carmencapta
Music: Tribade
MetziTwerk workshop: @skarapapidd

On August 31, 2020, like every year, we celebrated the Overdose Awareness Day at Ágora Juan Andrés Benítez. It was a pleasure to share space and experiences with the XADUD and Families of Prisoners of Catalonia.

There are many comrades who have fallen in this harsh war on drugs, which is nothing more than a war on people who use drugs. Public institutions must stop looking the other way to deal with this problem derived from the prohibition itself. An innovative and daring look with community-based interventions anchored in human rights and intersectional feminism is urgently needed.

Administrations, organizations and society must go hand in hand for the same purpose: NO MORE VICTIMS OF THE WAR ON DRUGS! ✊

Video: Carmen Molina

On the occasion of the international campaign “Support. Don’t Punish” we made this video questioning the stigma and discrimination faced by womxn who use drugs, focusing on the networks of mutual support that we have developed thanks to the community work of Metzineres in our neighborhood, El Raval.

Video maker and edition: Carmen Molina

Presentation on Harm Reduction Services for Women Who Use Drugs.
Expert Meeting on Introduction and Promotion of New Harm Reduction Approaches in CEECA region.

Vilnius, November 2019.

In 2019, February more than 40 womxn from Europe and Central Asia met in Barcelona to work together on intersectional feminism, drug policy, harm reduction and human rights, where the Barcelona Declaration was initiated:

THE BARCELONA DECLARATION

On International Women’s Day 2019, we declare that the War On Drugs is a war on Womxn Who Use Drugs

The War On Drugs is racist, sexist, classist and heterosexist, and disproportionately affects womxn of colour, youth and womxn in poor communities.

As womxn, trans and gender non-conforming people surviving this war, we reject the widespread stigma, discrimination and criminalisation we face in our daily lives. We call for complete reform and transformation of the current system of prohibition. We call for an end to the ignorant and negative rhetoric.

Drug treatment services are gendered, classed, sexualised and racialised. Drug ‘treatment’ itself is based on spurious and outdated research, and allows unbridled and unregulated power over the individual. We reject these methods and the ideologies underpinning them.

Global and systemic oppressions violate our rights, as womxn, trans and gender non-conforming people who use drugs, and situate us in multiple, interconnected, vulnerable positions, which lead to numerous harms: 

• As womxn who inject drugs, we have a higher prevalence of HIV and Hepatitis than men. Despite this, we don’t appear in data and endure discrimination and exclusion from social and health services. The few resources we have tend to be masculinised and inaccessible as well as often not meeting our needs, interests or expectations.  
• We are disproportionately impacted by structural violence and social control from the State (policing, limited access to legal aid, extortion, long prison sentences, rape, extrajudicial murder and capital punishment). 
• The majority of womxn in prison are sentenced for non-violent drug related offences. Womxn of colour, ethnic minorities, non-binary or trans, and the homeless are particularly targeted.
• In several countries, we face detention in compulsory, unregulated ‘treatment” centres, often for indefinite periods with little or no access to judicial processes. Incarceration in closed settings creates a context for increased human rights violations, such as rape and extortion. 
• We often experience endemic violence  and exclusion within our own communities and families. Not only are we more likely to be assaulted by our partners, but we are less likely to have recourse to justice and protection. 
• We suffer intrusion into our bodily and physical integrity, maternal and family life and domestic space. We face routine violations of our sexual and reproductive health rights, by both community and state such as coerced sterilization  and  pregnancy termination.
• Stigma that assumes womxn who use drugs cannot take care of their children and misinformation on the effects of drug use feeds into strong pressures to end pregnancy. When we don’t terminate our pregnancies, there’s a strong possibility we will lose custody of our children. 
• Those of us who are sex workers, womxn living with disabilities, and especially trans womxn, cope with an unacceptable and compounded web of stigma, discrimination and social exclusion.  

     Despite living with these and other multiple forms of violence daily, Womxn Fighting back Against the War On Drugs are resourceful, enterprising, creative and strong. We possess remarkable resilience. We fight back against prohibition with solidarity, mutual support and leadership, building our networks from the grassroots to the global, from immediate action to long-term strategies to end this war on womxn who use drugs. We embrace intersectional and anti-prohibitionist feminism that integrates queer/trans-inclusive and non-ableist approaches, racial justice and the right to use drugs and experience pleasure. We work to reclaim our bodily sovereignty, including rights to the full range of sexual and reproductive health, gender-sensitive health services, and rights to use drugs. We do not ask for charity but for solidarity.  We demand to live in safety and freedom.

This declaration is an invitation to join forces with womxn like us, womxn who demand an end to the War on Drugs and the negative impact it has on all our lives. 

“Let us all cause some trouble and begin to change the world with and for women who use drugs with our powerful conceptual armaments in hand.” Elizabeth Ettorre (feminist scholar)

Our bodies – our choice, our rights, our voice.

#narcofeminism #femdrug

The following groups / organisations support this declaration:

To add your organisation’s name to the signatories in solidarity or to keep in touch – please complete this form.

1. Women and Harm Reduction International Network (WHRIN)
2. COUNTERfit
3. Metzineres. Sheltered Enviroments for Womxn who Use Drugs Surviving Violences
4. XADUD. Network of Womxn who Use Drugs
5. REMA. Network of Anti-Prohibitionist Women
6. Eurasian Harm Reduction Association
7. ARSU – Grup de Dones
8. FAAAT think & do tank
9. Pla d’accions sobre drogues de Reus
10. European Institute for Multidisciplinary Studies on Human Rights and Science | Knowmad Institut
11. Iglesia Evangélica Protestante de El Salvador (IEPES)
12. Youth RISE
13. Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID)
14. International Network of Women who use Drugs (INWUD)
15. PeerNUPS
16. Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy
17. Género y Drogodependencias (Madrid)
18. EuroNPUD
19. AFEW International
20. Life Quality Improvement Organisation FLIGHT
21. CA Prima
22. “Harmreduction network” Association
23. Društvo AREAL
24. AFEW International
25. PeNUPS
26. CASO Portugal
27. APDES
28. WeCanna-Weedgest
29. Youth Organisation for Drug Action
30. NGO Re Generation
31. Perempuan Pengguna NAPZA Indonesia dan Deklarasi Jenggala
32. CHECK!N
33. LUNEST, EHPV
34. Asia Catalyst
35. Tinatin Zardiashvili
36. Real People Real Vision
37. CF “VIRTUS”
38. Stop Overdose Now
39. ANTONIA ROSSI
40. ARAS – Romanian Association Against AIDS
41. Association Margina
42. Delhi Drug User Forum
43. En Plenas Facultades
44. CA PRIMA
45. Release
46. LGBT organization Labrys
47. ALE “Kazakhs Union of People Living with HIV”
48. AKUT Foundation, Hungary
49. ItanPUD – Italian Network of People Who Use Drugs
50. Club “Svitanok”, Ukraine
51. Eurasian Women’s Network on AIDS
52. Hepminus
53. Crew
54. Kosmicare Association
55. COUNTERfit Harm Reduction Program (Canada)
56. Jane Lane
57. ASAUPAM
58. ARSU
59. Toronto Overdose Prevention Society
60. Help Not Harm
61. Perempuan Bersuara
62. Gerakan Advokasi Kebijakan NAPZA Indonesia (GAKNI) / Indonesia Drugs Policy Advocacy
63. Forum Akar Rumput Indonesia (FARI) / Grass-Roots Indonesian Forum
64. Aksi Keadilan Indonesia (AKI) / Indonesian Justice Action
65. Persaudaraan Korban NAPZA Bogor (PKN Bogor) / Bogor Drug User Community
66. Drugs Policy Reform (DRP) Banten, Indonesia
67. Komunitas perempuan pengguna napza pekanbaru
68. Rights Reporter Foundation
69. SANANIM
70. Forum Droghe onlus – Italy
71. Salamander Trust
72. SALVAGE
73. TaNPUD
74. Federación de asociaciones Cannàbicas de Cataluña (CatFAC)
75. Global Inklusi Perlindungan AIDS
76. Indonesia Drug Policy Reform
77. GO “All- Ukrainian network of Ukrainiane Users”
78. Nepal for Public Health
79. GAKNI – Gerakan Advokasi Kebijakan Napza Indonesia ( Indonesia Drug Policy Advocacy Movement)
80. KPPNP/(komunitas perempuan pengguna napza pekanbaru) Community of women who use drugs Pekanbaru
81. Harm Reduction International
82. EATG (European AIDS Treatment Group)
83. Steps
84. AIVL
85. New Taskon padang
86. PREKURSOR Foundation for Social Policy
87. STOP AIDS, ALBANIA
88. Odyseus
89. Sexism Free Night
90. Sex Worker Advocacy and Resistance Movement (SWARM)
91. Andrey Rylkov Foundation
92. InMouraria-GAT
93. Drug Policy Network South East Europe
94. Women in Europe and Central Asian Regions plus (WECARe+)
95. NORML France
96. Canadian Drug Policy Coalition
97. Élixir
98. 4yourvoiceportugal
99. Legalize Belarus
100. SimplementeOpinión
101. India HIV/AIDS Alliance
102. Estonian Association of People who Use psychotropic substances „Lunest“
103. SALVAGe
104. Women Who Use Drugs Malaysia
105. NGO Volunteer (Tajikistan GBAO)
106. Indigo Harm Reduction Services
107. Polish Drug Policy Network
108. CATNPUD – Catalan Network of People who Use Drugs
109. NGO “RIGHT OF EVERYONE”
110. New Generation Humanitarian NGO / Armenia (NGNGO)
111. Občianske združenie Prima
112. NGO “April Project”
113. Frontline AIDS
114. Romanian Harm Reduction Network
115. Eurasian Network of People who Use Drugs
116. ICEERS Foundation
117. ОФ “Ранар” Кыргызстан
118. ECOM – Eurasian Coalition on Male Health
119. Healthy Options Project Skopje
120. Legalize Belarus
121. White Noise Movement
122. Energy Control
123. TEDA MAT recovering community based organization working with mat recovering users and active drug users malindi Kenya
124. HOPS – Healthy Options Project Skopje
125. The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls
126. Indian Drug Users Forum
127. Association Prevent
128. Pivotal Homes Group
129. LSD foundation
130. Health Poverty Action
131. Centre on Drug Policy Evaluation
132. EQUIS Justicia para las Mujeres
133. International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC)
134. West Africa Drug Policy Network (WADPN)
135. TB HIV Care
136. SA Drug Policy
137. South African Network of People Who Use Drugs (SANPUD)
138. Intercambios Asociación Civil
139. StoptheDrugWar.org
140. AGRRR – Association Guyanaise de Réduction des Risques
141. Associazione Luca Coscioni
142. Science for Democracy
143. Asociación Costarricense para el Estudio e Intervención en Drogas (ACEID)
144. Centro de Orientacion e Investigacion Integral (COIN)
145. NORML FRANCE
146. Las Borders de México

To add your organisation’s name to the signatories in solidarity or to keep in touch – please complete this form.