2. Project description (background and justification)
[NOTE: The following details were written at the commencement of this project in 1999 when the situation, as described, prevailed.]
The North Eastern region of India comprises seven states, namely, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam. Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura. The combined population of all the seven States is approximately 32 million, which is 3.7 per cent of the total population of the country. Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh - with substantial hilly areas - have long, and in most places inaccessible, international borders with Myanmar. All the states in the region except Assam have a predominantly tribal population, each with distinct social and cultural traditions. Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland have large concentrations of members of the Christian faith.
The drug problem and its consequences have been particularly alarming in the North Eastern states. Trafficking from Myanmar results in the availability of high-quality heroin, which is usually injected by abusers. As a result, the spread of drug abuse and HIV/AIDS is becoming critical in some areas/communities. According to some estimates, there are more than 40,000 illicit drug users out of total population of 1.8 million in Manipur. An equally large number is believed to abuse drugs in Nagaland and Mizoram. There are reportedly about 15,000 to 20,000 injecting drug abusers (mostly heroin users) in Manipur. Studies have shown that there has been an exponential rise in HIV. From a position of zero in September 1989, prevalence among IDUs in this state jumped to 50% in less than six months and at present it is over 70%. Thus, any de-addiction strategy for the North East must take into account the nexus between drugs and HIV/AIDS infection.
In all the states, there is a shortage of trained personnel for de-addiction, rehabilitation and counselling. The state of Arunachal Pradesh does not have any treatment/rehabilitation centre. The majority of the states in the North East have strong community-based organizations drawing strength from traditional and rich tribal cultural ties. For example, the Naga Mothers' Association in Nagaland and the Mizo Youth Association in Mizoram have not only a presence in every part of the state but are important organizations influencing public opinion, social conduct and impacting upon the community response on social issues. Another example is the village "
khel", a village club or association in villages of Nagaland, which has a pervading influence on the lives of its members. Any intervention in the North East will have to be dovetailed to the strength of the tribal traditions and strengths of these organizations.
In support of its efforts to develop and implement a comprehensive programme of drug demand reduction in the North Eastern states of India, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment requires external assistance to build the required capacity for non governmental organizations (NGOs) and community-based organizations (CBOs) to undertake a wide range of demand reduction activities, employing tested and innovative demand reduction approaches.
3. Immediate objectives, related outputs and activities
The project aims to assist the Government in establishing an infrastructure to initiate, support and sustain demand reduction activities in North Eastern states of India and to launch such activities.
The centerpiece will consist of a regional resource and training centre (RRTC) which will be linked to and receive technical support from the National Centre for Drug Abuse Prevention (NDCAP), established under project IND/E40 (Community Wide Demand Reduction in India). The RRTC will provide training, technical support and backstopping to 25 de-addiction cum rehabilitation centres (DCRCs) and 40 Community Extension Centres (CECs) and will also be supporting 17 enterprises and their partner NGOs in workplace prevention and rehabilitation. The DCRCs will consist of suitable community based organizations. The DCRCs will provide treatment and rehabilitation services to drug addicts, including vocational training and provision of loans for the purpose of vocational rehabilitation. The CECs will carry out or support community based prevention activities, in particular, in high-risk areas and among high-risk groups. The activities will include components to reduce the risks of drug related HIV/AIDS infection.
Also, the project will support a series of complementary measures to reinforce its core activities. These will include:
- Identification of the extent, pattern and trends of drug abuse in the North Eastern states (in collaboration with project IND/D83 (All India Survey of Extent and Pattern of Abuse).
- Sensitization of parliamentarians, administrators in the public sector and key representatives of the private sector to the drug problem and the possibilities to address it.
- Community-based prevention, treatment and rehabilitation programmes in high-risk areas by NGOs/CBOs or primary health centres in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
- Training of Youth Coordinators in life-skills education for reducing the risk-taking behaviour related to drug abuse and HIV/AIDS.
- Five community outreach programmes, through NGOs, to prevent injecting drug use.
- Establishment of self-help groups and organizations among recovering drug abusers at the city and state levels.
- Establishment of networking arrangements among NGOs, at the city and state levels.
The project will benefit from and complement activities under project IND/E40 (Community Wide Demand Reduction in India), to mainstream drug concerns in the programmes of United Nations sister organizations and Government agencies.
The project will fall into four phases. Results at the end of each phase can be sustained also in case a subsequent phase would not materialize or be delayed.
By the end of Phase I, the basis for the infrastructure for community-wide demand reduction in the North Eastern states will have been established in terms of the RRTC, 25 de-addiction-cum-rehabilitation centres and 20 community extension centres being physically in place and training programmes being developed to establish their capability.
By the end of Phase II, this capability will have been developed and action plans will have been piloted by the centres.
In Phase III, an additional 20 community extension centres will have been established and the entire infrastructure will be carrying out more than 75 programmes to reduce and prevent demand for illicit drugs (and alcohol in the workplace) among the general population, high-risk groups and drug addicts, targeting about 1 million persons. Approximately 3,000 drug addicts will be under recovery at the DCRCs.
By the end of Phase IV, these activities will have been expanded to targeting more than 2 million persons. This will include reaching out to more than 40,000 addicts in the communities, addressing 10,000 persons belonging to high-risk groups, providing detoxification services to more than 20,000 drug addicts and vocational rehabilitation services to more than 5,000 addicts and targeting more than 50,000 workers in 17 enterprises. Equally important, the quality of programmes and the way in which services are provided will have been strengthened considerably.
4. Counterpart, institutional setting and implementation arrangements
The project will be executed by UNODC. ILO will be the associated agency providing training to NGOs in vocational rehabilitation. The main government counterpart will be the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. In the process of project implementation, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment will coordinate with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Department of Youth Affairs and other concerned Ministries and Government agencies. The project will be implemented in conjunction with project IND/E40, Community-Wide Demand Reduction in India. Responsibility for the day-to-day management of the project will rest with the same Project Manager. A National Programme Officer will be stationed in the North Eastern states, responsible for the day-to-day implementation of activities. |
