Solidarity. Don't Punish, with a focus on women and gender expansive people, 2026
Recent backward moving shifts in foreign aid with diminishing civil society space threaten gains made through decades of evidence based harm reduction programming that has saved countless lives globally. Civil society organisations providing crucial peer support systems are being defunded and their voices repressed. Concurrently, gender rights and sexual and reproductive health services including contraception, gender based violence services and safe abortion are being attacked and eroded. Women and gender expansive people who use drugs are particularly at risk as essential life-saving services are being closed down.
“Support. Don’t Punish” is a global, grassroots campaign supporting harm reduction and drug policies that prioritise human rights and public health. The campaign also highlights the special needs and circumstances of women and people of expansive gender identity who use drugs. Building on partnerships and consensus among women and people of expansive gender identity who use drugs, organisations and groups worldwide are collaborating:
to highlight the need to expand gender sensitive harm reduction services.
to end violence against women and people of expansive gender identity who use drugs, and
to improve drug policies from a health, gender and harm reduction perspective.
Harm reduction is essential and a basic human right. These decisions are negligent, unjust, will cost lives and must be immediately revoked. We stand ready to continue our work to address systemic barriers to health and rights for women and gender expansive people who use drugs.
On this day, the demands of Solidarity and Support. Don’t Punish with a focus on women and people of expansive gender identity who use drugs are for:
Allocation of long term sustainable funding to gender responsive harm reduction services (including OAT that prioritises inclusion of pregnant people) and networks led by women and gender expansive people who use drugs
Decriminalisation of drug use and sex work, with immediate abolition of capital punishment, extrajudicial killings, compulsory treatment, drug user registration systems and punishment for pregnant people who use of drugs.
Re-opening and expansion of gender-responsive harm reduction services including gender affirming care that are non-discriminatory, safe and relevant.
Upholding the right to autonomy over the bodies of women and people of expansive gender identity who use drugs including choices around safer drug use.
An end to the distortion of facts that surround drug use and pregnancy, and to using drug use as reason for the invasion or disruption of privacy, family or domestic life.
Implementation of mechanisms for prevention of violence and support for women and people of expansive gender identity who use drugs who are subject to violence.
Please join WHRIN and (insert your name of your organisation) in claiming these basic rights for women and people of expansive gender identity who use drugs and societies as a whole, worldwide.
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