UNODC in Tajikistan: Addressing the Specific Needs of Women Who Inject Drugs

05-06 March 2019, Dushanbe, Tajikistan - The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime conducted a training on "addressing the specific needs of women who inject drugs" for 25 NGO workers of the Republic of Tajikistan. The event hosted representatives from the AIDS Foundation East-West in the Republic of Tajikistan (AFEW), public organizations "Swon plus," PO "HIV Center," PO "Equal opportunities," "Amali nek," "Jovidon," "Tajikistan network of women living with HIV," and Republican Center of HIV.

Welcoming the participants, Ms. Amelia Hannaford, Head of UNODC Programme Office in Tajikistan, emphasized that "the gender dynamics of HIV in Tajikistan is complex and ambiguous. It is evident that there is an important gap when it comes to the specialized knowledge and expertise required to respond adequately to women's needs, namely in identifying the type of services and their delivery approach. There is a lack of services that aim at protecting women from violence, setting up self-support networks, child care facilities and development of leadership skills."

The training aimed to build ​​capacity of local NGOs in the field of ensuring access of people who use drugs to evidence-based HIV prevention, treatment and care services addressing the specific needs of women who inject drugs.

"Only working together as one team with international and governmental organization we can provide equal opportunities and decrease the level of stigma and discrimination towards women in our society." - said Ms. Takhmina Khaydarova, representative of the PO "Tajikistan network of women living with HIV."

UNODC supports the Member States in the development of expanded access to HIV prevention, testing and treatment services. The training was conducted within the framework of Sub-Programme 3 "Drug Prevention, Treatment, Reintegration and HIV Prevention" of the Programme for Central Asia 2015-2019, and supported by the UNAIDS (UBRAF).

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