In 2019, February more than 40 womxn from Europe and Central Asia met in Barcelona to work together on intersectional feminism, drug policy, harm reduction and human rights, where the Barcelona Declaration was initiated:
THE BARCELONA DECLARATION
On International Women's Day 2019, we declare that the War On Drugs is a war on Womxn Who Use Drugs
The War On Drugs is racist, sexist, classist and heterosexist, and disproportionately affects womxn of colour, youth and womxn in poor communities.
As womxn, trans and gender non-conforming people surviving this war, we reject the widespread stigma, discrimination and criminalisation we face in our daily lives. We call for complete reform and transformation of the current system of prohibition. We call for an end to the ignorant and negative rhetoric.
Drug treatment services are gendered, classed, sexualised and racialised. Drug 'treatment' itself is based on spurious and outdated research, and allows unbridled and unregulated power over the individual. We reject these methods and the ideologies underpinning them.
Global and systemic oppressions violate our rights, as womxn, trans and gender non-conforming people who use drugs, and situate us in multiple, interconnected, vulnerable positions, which lead to numerous harms:
- As womxn who inject drugs, we have a higher prevalence of HIV and Hepatitis than men. Despite this, we don't appear in data and endure discrimination and exclusion from social and health services. The few resources we have tend to be masculinised and inaccessible as well as often not meeting our needs, interests or expectations.
- We are disproportionately impacted by structural violence and social control from the State (policing, limited access to legal aid, extortion, long prison sentences, rape, extrajudicial murder and capital punishment).
- The majority of womxn in prison are sentenced for non-violent drug related offences. Womxn of colour, ethnic minorities, non-binary or trans, and the homeless are particularly targeted.
- In several countries, we face detention in compulsory, unregulated 'treatment'' centres, often for indefinite periods with little or no access to judicial processes. Incarceration in closed settings creates a context for increased human rights violations, such as rape and extortion.
- We often experience endemic violence and exclusion within our own communities and families. Not only are we more likely to be assaulted by our partners, but we are less likely to have recourse to justice and protection.
- We suffer intrusion into our bodily and physical integrity, maternal and family life and domestic space. We face routine violations of our sexual and reproductive health rights, by both community and state such as coerced sterilization and pregnancy termination.
- Stigma that assumes womxn who use drugs cannot take care of their children and misinformation on the effects of drug use feeds into strong pressures to end pregnancy. When we don't terminate our pregnancies, there's a strong possibility we will lose custody of our children.
- Those of us who are sex workers, womxn living with disabilities, and especially trans womxn, cope with an unacceptable and compounded web of stigma, discrimination and social exclusion.
Despite living with these and other multiple forms of violence daily, Womxn Fighting back Against the War On Drugs are resourceful, enterprising, creative and strong. We possess remarkable resilience. We fight back against prohibition with solidarity, mutual support and leadership, building our networks from the grassroots to the global, from immediate action to long-term strategies to end this war on womxn who use drugs. We embrace intersectional and anti-prohibitionist feminism that integrates queer/trans-inclusive and non-ableist approaches, racial justice and the right to use drugs and experience pleasure. We work to reclaim our bodily sovereignty, including rights to the full range of sexual and reproductive health, gender-sensitive health services, and rights to use drugs. We do not ask for charity but for solidarity. We demand to live in safety and freedom.
This declaration is an invitation to join forces with womxn like us, womxn who demand an end to the War on Drugs and the negative impact it has on all our lives.
"Let us all cause some trouble and begin to change the world with and for women who use drugs with our powerful conceptual armaments in hand.” Elizabeth Ettorre (feminist scholar)
Our bodies - our choice, our rights, our voice.
#narcofeminism #femdrug
The following groups / organisations support this declaration:
To add your organisation’s name to the signatories in solidarity or to keep in touch - please complete this form.
- Women and Harm Reduction International Network (WHRIN)
- COUNTERfit
- Metzineres. Sheltered Enviroments for Womxn who Use Drugs Surviving Violences
- XADUD. Network of Womxn who Use Drugs
- REMA. Network of Anti-Prohibitionist Women
- Eurasian Harm Reduction Association
- ARSU - Grup de Dones
- FAAAT think & do tank
- Pla d’accions sobre drogues de Reus
- European Institute for Multidisciplinary Studies on Human Rights and Science | Knowmad Institut
- Iglesia Evangélica Protestante de El Salvador (IEPES)
- Youth RISE
- Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID)
- International Network of Women who use Drugs (INWUD)
- PeerNUPS
- Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy
- Género y Drogodependencias (Madrid)
- EuroNPUD
- AFEW International
- Life Quality Improvement Organisation FLIGHT
- CA Prima
- “Harmreduction network” Association
- Društvo AREAL
- AFEW International
- PeNUPS
- CASO Portugal
- APDES
- WeCanna-Weedgest
- Youth Organisation for Drug Action
- NGO Re Generation
- Perempuan Pengguna NAPZA Indonesia dan Deklarasi Jenggala
- CHECK!N
- LUNEST, EHPV
- Asia Catalyst
- Tinatin Zardiashvili
- Real People Real Vision
- CF "VIRTUS"
- Stop Overdose Now
- ANTONIA ROSSI
- ARAS - Romanian Association Against AIDS
- Association Margina
- Delhi Drug User Forum
- En Plenas Facultades
- CA PRIMA
- Release
- LGBT organization Labrys
- ALE "Kazakhs Union of People Living with HIV"
- AKUT Foundation, Hungary
- ItanPUD - Italian Network of People Who Use Drugs
- Club "Svitanok", Ukraine
- Eurasian Women's Network on AIDS
- Hepminus
- Crew
- Kosmicare Association
- COUNTERfit Harm Reduction Program (Canada)
- Jane Lane
- ASAUPAM
- ARSU
- Toronto Overdose Prevention Society
- Help Not Harm
- Perempuan Bersuara
- Gerakan Advokasi Kebijakan NAPZA Indonesia (GAKNI) / Indonesia Drugs Policy Advocacy
- Forum Akar Rumput Indonesia (FARI) / Grass-Roots Indonesian Forum
- Aksi Keadilan Indonesia (AKI) / Indonesian Justice Action
- Persaudaraan Korban NAPZA Bogor (PKN Bogor) / Bogor Drug User Community
- Drugs Policy Reform (DRP) Banten, Indonesia
- Komunitas perempuan pengguna napza pekanbaru
- Rights Reporter Foundation
- SANANIM
- Forum Droghe onlus - Italy
- Salamander Trust
- SALVAGE
- TaNPUD
- Federación de asociaciones Cannàbicas de Cataluña (CatFAC)
- Global Inklusi Perlindungan AIDS
- Indonesia Drug Policy Reform
- GO "All- Ukrainian network of Ukrainiane Users"
- Nepal for Public Health
- GAKNI - Gerakan Advokasi Kebijakan Napza Indonesia ( Indonesia Drug Policy Advocacy Movement)
- KPPNP/(komunitas perempuan pengguna napza pekanbaru) Community of women who use drugs Pekanbaru
- Harm Reduction International
- EATG (European AIDS Treatment Group)
- Steps
- AIVL
- New Taskon padang
- PREKURSOR Foundation for Social Policy
- STOP AIDS, ALBANIA
- Odyseus
- Sexism Free Night
- Sex Worker Advocacy and Resistance Movement (SWARM)
- Andrey Rylkov Foundation
- InMouraria-GAT
- Drug Policy Network South East Europe
- Women in Europe and Central Asian Regions plus (WECARe+)
- NORML France
- Canadian Drug Policy Coalition
- Élixir
- 4yourvoiceportugal
- Legalize Belarus
- SimplementeOpinión
- India HIV/AIDS Alliance
- Estonian Association of People who Use psychotropic substances „Lunest“
- SALVAGe
- Women Who Use Drugs Malaysia
- NGO Volunteer (Tajikistan GBAO)
- Indigo Harm Reduction Services
- Polish Drug Policy Network
- CATNPUD - Catalan Network of People who Use Drugs
- NGO "RIGHT OF EVERYONE"
- New Generation Humanitarian NGO / Armenia (NGNGO)
- Občianske združenie Prima
- NGO "April Project"
- Frontline AIDS
- Romanian Harm Reduction Network
- Eurasian Network of People who Use Drugs
- ICEERS Foundation
- ОФ "Ранар" Кыргызстан
- ECOM - Eurasian Coalition on Male Health
- Healthy Options Project Skopje
- Legalize Belarus
- White Noise Movement
- Energy Control
- TEDA MAT recovering community based organization working with mat recovering users and active drug users malindi Kenya
- HOPS - Healthy Options Project Skopje
- The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls
- Indian Drug Users Forum
- Association Prevent
- Pivotal Homes Group
- LSD foundation
- Health Poverty Action
- Centre on Drug Policy Evaluation
- EQUIS Justicia para las Mujeres
- International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC)
- West Africa Drug Policy Network (WADPN)
- TB HIV Care
- SA Drug Policy
- South African Network of People Who Use Drugs (SANPUD)
- Intercambios Asociación Civil
- StoptheDrugWar.org
- AGRRR - Association Guyanaise de Réduction des Risques
- Associazione Luca Coscioni
- Science for Democracy
- Asociación Costarricense para el Estudio e Intervención en Drogas (ACEID)
- Centro de Orientacion e Investigacion Integral (COIN)
- NORML FRANCE
- Las Borders de México
To add your organisation’s name to the signatories in solidarity or to keep in touch - please complete this form.