Need to explain the realities of women who use drugs? This collaborative report by Harm Reduction International and Women Harm Reduction International Network does it in seven pages. This informative report, needs to be circulated, it is timely, direct and easy to read. More than presenting statistics showing how women who use drugs experience more social, legal and health harms compared to males who use drugs, the report includes the lived experiences of women who use drugs to humanise the alarming statistics. The report also discusses the critical importance of integrated services to address the range of barriers for women who use drugs accessing services in a safe, non-judgemental family friendly environment. The report also discusses the global increase in women incarcerated for drug violations and the social and health impacts on these women and their children. Pregnancy and parenting issues experienced by women who use drugs ranging from forced sterilisations to incarceration are also included. The report concludes with reference to the Guttmacher-Lancet Commission on SRHR identification of people who use drugs as having distinct SRHR needs yet being inadequately reached with appropriate SRH services.
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