[COMMENTARY] Harm Reduction in China – Where Are We Now?

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By Gisa Hartmann

In response to the rise of drug dependence, China has begun to embrace harm reduction,
scaling up policies such as methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) and needle
exchange programs (NEP) in a growing number of areas. This shift in policy is expressed
in the new Anti-Drug Law, which categorizes drug addiction as a medical condition rather than a criminal issue or moral failing. But how far along is the development of MMT and NEP in China, and what does the state plan
for the future? How do current policies play out for drug users on the ground? This
two-part blog will explore these and related issues.

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[REPORT] The Limits of Legal Rights in Nepal

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by Hayley Curry

The rule of law can be a powerful and effective tool
for building a society that is free of injustice and filled with opportunities
for all, but the operational environment that accompanies human rights advocacy can limit its effectiveness. This summer, while working as a legal intern at an NGO in Kathmandu,
Nepal, I experienced these challenges firsthand.

 

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[REPORT] Community-Driven Rights Research: Sex Workers in China

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By Mike Frick

From June through early August, I
helped Asia Catalyst’s partner organization, Phoenix, to train five volunteers
in research and rights documentation skills. Phoenix is an NGO that serves
women living with HIV/AIDS – many of them sex workers and drug users — in
Gejiu, Yunnan Province, China. The five participating volunteers on our
research team are all former drug users, and several of them also work as sex
workers. Our goal was to build their capacity to conduct the kind of research
that can inform advocacy and make a difference in the lives of the community
Phoenix serves.

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[COMMENTARY] Legalization vs. Decriminalization 分析：合法化与除罪化

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The International AIDS Conference also launched the Vienna Declaration, (中文https://www.viennadeclarationchinese.com/), a statement signed by hundreds of doctors, experts and NGOs calling for decriminalization of drug use.  A number of speakers, panels and protests at the conference also
called for the decriminization of HIV transmission and commercial sex work.  A growing body of scientific evidence presented at the meeting shows that decriminalization would be consistent not only with a rights-based approach to the epidemic but also with science-based public health principles.

 

 

However, there is some confusion regarding the differences between “decriminalization” and “legalization” – so
here is a brief explanation.

 

 

国际艾滋病大会上共有数百名医生签署了新发起的《维也纳宣言》，专家们和非营利性组织呼吁取消对使用毒品定罪。出席会议的许多发言人、专门小组和抗议者也呼吁取消对传播艾滋病与性工作的定罪。会上，越来越多的证据表明除罪化不仅和从权力角度出发抗击疾病的方式相一致，也与从科学的角度出发的公众健康规则相一致。

 

 

然而，在合法化与除罪化之间仍然有些令人困惑的地方，下面是对此的简单解释：

 

 

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