Programme Director,
Honourable Deputy Minister Bogopane-Zulu,
Professor Monique Marks,
Health Workers, Social Workers, Academics, Volunteers,
Ladies and Gentlemen.
I would like to start by thanking the National Department of Social Development, the South African Network of Persons Who Use Drugs, and the Bellhaven Memorial Centre, for hosting this important programme at a time when the people of South Africa and Africa are in desperate need for drug policy reform.
South Africa and the world are experiencing extreme disruptions amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, and together with the compound effect of existing economic, health and social crises, it is sadly too often that our country’s most vulnerable people fall through the cracks. As history will tell, whether during times of relative certainty or during times of national disaster, key populations are overlooked and escape notice.
As we celebrate the launch of the strategic partnership between the National Department of Social Development and the South Africa Network of Persons Who Use Drugs, we recognize the power of collaboration to increase knowledge sharing, expertise, the efficient use of resources and to take notice of the people who deserve our utmost attention.
It is through increased partnership and collaboration that we find most effective solutions and as a member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy and as the Chairperson of the Champions for an AIDS-Free Generation in Africa, my address to this gathering is informed by the work of these two organisations. We believe that future policies need to be built on inclusive ecosystems, where different stakeholders can exchange and find solutions for the many issues facing the challenges of current drug policies such as criminalization poses.
The criminalization of drug use and possession is at the core of the world drug control policy problem, the vast human rights violations resulting from this policy, and the negative impact on communities, on safety and security, on the spread of violence and on public health. Based on the analysis of available evidence and research, the Global Commission has found that the criminalization of drugs is responsible for numerous human rights violations as was also stated in reports of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and many other international and regional human rights mechanisms.
The Commission has also found no evidence on the efficacy of criminalization in reducing the demand, the supply or the “unintended” consequences of prohibition. Rather, if the drug control regime wants to reduce the “unintended” consequences, it would need to change its strategies, something which we advocate for around the world. Moreover, the criminalization of drugs puts people who use them at risk of suffering legal sanctions as well as going through daily social stigma and discrimination.
As the Champions for an AIDS-Free Generation in Africa, our focus address difficult issues of leaving no one behind. We have committed to take on complex issues to expand access to health and HIV services and leave no one behind. We are dedicated to advocating for increased commitment to address political, social and legal barriers and blockages that continue to hinder our progress in attaining health, development goals and an end to AIDS in Africa.
It is important that we represent and amplify the voices of those who are not readily heard and seen, and we encourage dialogue on these difficult issues because change begins with a conversation. However, self-representation is fundamental for an authentic dialogue and sufficient consideration is not given to the voices of people who use drugs, the marginalized, and the discriminated. As government, society and leaders fail to listen, these people suffer unnecessary, painful consequences. Their stories often go untold and are lost in a barrage of ineffective policy, misunderstood science, and cruel social stigmas.
Programme Director,
What we must consider is that our response to vulnerable communities in the past did not work. We must admit that there are massive gaps in our current policy and approach and that in many ways we were wrong.
The force used against our people in the war against drugs only served to isolate people further, to reinforce dangerous stigmas that increase marginalization and fuel drug-associated problems.
These were mistakes and leaders in Africa should learn from them.
We must now seek for what will work humanely, humanly and justly and it is through strategic partnerships between National Department of Social Development, government as a whole, the South African Network of Persons Who Use Drugs, NGOs, community leaders, and active citizens, that we will begin to restore the humanity that is sorely needed in South Africa.
Today a spotlight is shone on the positive work of the Bellhaven Memorial Centre as a showcase of the potential of our country to take bold strides in the direction towards harm reduction and support. The essential work of the project team of registered nurses, social workers, researchers, and volunteers of the Bellhaven Memorial Centre, is an excellent example of how innovation, evidence-based research, science, and compassion can make a massive impact on the community. The Bellhaven Memorial Centre project leader, Professor Monique Marks, and her team demonstrate how our urban spaces can be re-shaped for human dignity and how our policies can be re-centred around support to help people navigate their way through hardship.
More support for public-private partnership models such as the Bellhaven Memorial Centre is needed in urban centres across South Africa and the continent, and we wish them every success in their plans to open Africa’s first Overdose Prevention Space within Bellhaven.
Programme Director,
To understand citizens who have been sidelined by society and who are suffering, is to show that we care for them. To care for the vulnerable is to do our best to offer them every chance for them to heal, to be seen and to be heard. Let us give a voice to the marginalized and make sure that vulnerable communities are afforded the rights given to every person in South Africa.
As I conclude, I must ask the question: can true prosperity ever be achieved if our most vulnerable are left behind? We are all a composite of humanity and therefore every person is vitally important in the project to create a sustainable, equitable and inclusive society. A roadmap for prosperity and progress is meant to leave no one behind, and so we commend the National Department of Social Development, the South African Network of Persons Who Use Drugs, the Bellhaven Memorial Centre, TBHIV Care and all the organisations and individuals who contribute to this essential work for their efforts to ensure that we all walk forward together.
I thank you.
