The success of Harm Reduction
Psychoactive drug users are often marginalised; therefore they have limited access to prevention programmes and care.
Harm reduction is an adapted, non-discriminating approach to drug users.
It doesn’t moralise and relies on trust and confidentiality for its messages to be heard and accepted. Its main goal is to mobilise drug users so that they convey the message inside their group.
Harm reduction is an appropriate, non-discriminating approach to drug users.
Harm reduction prioritises the possibilities available to drug users in order to reduce the risks of infection: being familiar with the products and their harmfulness, not sharing syringes, disinfecting used syringes and how to disinfect them.
It is also about putting people in contact with organisations that can help them to reintegrate into society, have access to substitution treatment and to psychological care and if the person wishes to begin an abstinence programme.
We work with the police force so that the people who come to our organisation for help may remain anonymous.
In only a few years, harm reduction has dramatically decreased the rate of HIV infection among injecting drug users.
Photos : Daniel Hérard
