At WHRIN, we believe that harm reduction is not only about public health—it is about dignity, autonomy, and safety. A recent case in Colombia (see here) invites us to confront an uncomfortable truth: violence, misogyny, and power imbalances do not stop at the doors of progressive or community-based movements. They exist even within our harm reduction ecosystems—spaces that should strive to be safe, ethical, and grounded in mutual care.
Unfortunately, this incident is not an isolated event. It reflects structural dynamics that many women, gender-diverse people, and community workers have long navigated in silence. Today, we break that silence.
A collective response to violence
This growing coalition calls for:
- A transparent, rigorous, and independent investigation into all incidents
- Concrete processes of reparation, including psychosocial support and public acknowledgment of responsibility.
- Clear mechanisms for reporting, protection, and follow-up within harm reduction organizations.
- Internal reforms in policies related to consent, ethics, care, and power.
- Mandatory training for staff, volunteers, and leadership on gender, anti-harassment, accountability, and reparative practices.
These demands are not punitive. They are measures of collective protection, rooted in the belief that our movements must reflect the values we advocate for.
Beyond a single organization or individual
We call for a commitment across the sector to ensure that harm reduction spaces do not replicate the very harms we otherwise seek to dismantle. For harm reduction organisations that do not yet have sexual harassment policy in place, please check out these template options.
Why these matters for the global harm reduction community
Movements committed to justice and care must be capable of confronting their own contradictions. Harm reduction cannot flourish in environments where people—especially women and gender-diverse advocates—experience fear, silencing, or coercion.
If we expect our communities to trust harm reduction services, then the people building these systems must be protected, believed, and supported.
Accountability is harm reduction.
Transparency is harm reduction.
Feminist, anti-racist, and survivor-centred practices are harm reduction.
Building safer futures together
In solidarity with the signatories of the statement, WHRIN reaffirms its support for:
- Transformative justice processes
- Survivor-centred approaches
- Community-led mechanisms of care and accountability
- The denormalization of gender-based violence, power abuses, and silencing patterns inside our movements
Furthermore, we echo the call to create training spaces, workshops, and dialogues that challenge embedded patriarchal norms and foster cultures of responsibility and repair.
We commit to contributing to the transformation that our movement urgently needs.
A collective commitment
This is a moment of grief, reflection, and responsibility for harm reduction communities across the world. Yet it is also a moment of possibility—an opportunity to strengthen the ethical foundations of our work and to ensure that the spaces we create are truly safe for everyone.
To all who share this conviction:
Let us continue to build communities rooted in integrity, gender responsiveness, care and justice.
