Regional Training of Trainers on treatment of women with drug use disorders
26-29 September, Issyk Kul, Kyrgyz Republic
Sub Programme 3 on the "Prevention and Treatment of Drug Dependence among Vulnerable Groups" of the UNODC Regional Programme for Afghanistan and Neighbouring Countries (RP) organised a four day regional training of trainers (ToT) on the treatment of women with drug use disorders held in Issyk Kul, the Kyrgyz Republic. Twenty professionals from seven RP countries including Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan attended this event and participated in the training.
The UNODC strategy on the treatment of drug dependence is to promote and support evidence-based and ethical treatment policies worldwide. Scientific evidence has established the fact that there are differences in the contexts in which women initiate drug use, maintain it and enter treatment. Moreover, clinical experience has proven that women respond well to treatments that are women-centred. A women-centred programme is defined as having everyone in the programme taking into account the issues that women face in their lives, like stigma, shame, guilt, fear, limited accessibility to treatment services, domestic violence and psychiatric comorbidity-anxiety, depression and posttraumatic stress disorder.
The regional ToT on the treatment of women with drug use disorders enhances the capacity of the experts to deliver quality drug treatment and rehabilitation services for women. Also, these experts will act as master trainers in delivering national level training courses in the future.
This training was undertaken in collaboration with the concerned governmental counterparts, such as the Ministry of Healthcare and the Republican Drug Treatment Centre of the Kyrgyz Republic.
UNODC thanks the Swedish government for funding the event.