Compulsory drug detention in East and Southeast Asia: Evolving government, UN and donor responses

Human rights and access to hepatitis C treatment for people who inject drugs

“…A recent report by the Global Commission on Drug Policy highlighted the role of Given the high numbers of PWID forced into state custody, analysis of the effects of detention and incarceration on the HCV treatment cascade is particularly needed. More than 170,000 PWID, for example, are detained in China and Vietnam for ''rehabilitation'' consisting primarily of forced labor in locked facilities where HIV/ HCV prevalence is high but where treatment remains unavailable (Amon, Pearshouse, Cohen, & Schleifer, 2014). In Indonesia, more than 60% of those in pretrial detention centers and 35% of prisoners are incarcerated for drug-related offenses (LBHM, 2011;PKNI, 2014).…”

HIV testing in re-education through labour camps in Guangxi Autonomous Region, China (a cross-sectional survey)

“…ART was restricted to those HIV-infected detainees who were eligible based on their CD4 cell count levels and in accordance with the China Ministry of Health HIV treatment guidelines. Nevertheless, labour camps present an opportunity to screen at-risk populations (62% were IDUs) and implement treatment,13 and is consistent with calls for universal access to HIV treatment for detainees14 and the ‘humanitarianism’ principle espoused by representatives of the World Bank and Global Fund 15…”

“…Nevertheless, labour camps present an opportunity to screen at-risk populations (62% were IDUs) and implement treatment, 13 and is consistent with calls for universal access to HIV treatment for detainees 14 and the 'humanitarianism' principle espoused by representatives of the World Bank and Global Fund. 15 A limitation of this study is that only three of seven labour camps agreed to participate in the survey which raises the possibility that the sample could have been biased toward labour camps with better processes and procedures. Furthermore, respondents could have provided socially desirable responses despite assurances that they would not face any negative consequences if they did not wish to participate in the study or answer particular questions.…”

Mandatory addiction treatment for people who use drugs: global health and human rights analysis: Table

“…In other countries, such as Cambodia and Laos, people who use drugs have been detained with other people deemed "socially undesirable," including sex workers, homeless people, people with mental illness, and those with alcohol dependence or gambling problems. 42 Detainees have been subject to human rights abuses, including extrajudicial and indefinite detention, physical abuse, and torture. [30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43] For example, in Cambodia, children with drug dependence were detained against their will, routinely beaten (sometimes with electrical cables), forced to work, and were subject to other abuses, including sexual abuse.…”