The Foundation Against Illicit Drug and Child Abuse (FADCA) is non-governmental organisation that is registered under the Law of Liberia. FADCA seeks to promote a balanced approach to drug policy based on decriminalisation and the protection of universal human rights.

FADCA es una organización no gubernamental registrada conforme a la Ley de Liberia. FADCA busca promover un enfoque equilibrado en cuanto la política de drogas basada en la descriminalización y la protección de los derechos humanos universales.

FADCA est une organisation non-gouvernementale sous la loi libérienne. FADCA vise à promouvoir une approche équilibrée dans le domaine de la politique des drogues, basée sur la dépénalisation et la protection des droits humains universels.

Foundation Against Illicit Drug and Child Abuse (FADCA) 

The International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa (ICASA) is the headline conference in the region, and an important opportunity to advance the HIV response. However, people who use drugs and the harm reduction community have been consistently marginalised and under-represented at these events.

Despite the 2019 conference (in Kigali, Rwanda) having more than 8,500 delegates and an objective to “Rethink gender norms, human rights-based approaches and inclusion towards equitable and accessible HIV and AIDS services including key populations”, there was once again very little focus on harm reduction, and poor visibility for people who inject drugs. This crucial aspect of the HIV response was restricted to only two satellite events and around five poster presentations.

We are calling on ICASA to proactively address this imbalance, starting with preparations for the 2021 conference.

Proposed Objective: To raise the profile of evidence-based harm reduction programs and promote integrated rights-based and stigma free interventions and policies for Africans who use drugs.

It is estimated that there may be as many as 2 million people who inject drugs in Africa, of whom more than 11 percent are living with HIV. Yet services remain woefully unavailable, and only a few African countries have adopted this approach – most often with external funding, and through NGOs rather than state provision. According to UNAIDS, people who inject drugs account for 8 percent of all new HIV infections in Sub-Saharan Africa, and 37 percent of all new infections in the Middle East and North Africa. This is a population that cannot be overlooked if we are to end AIDS in Africa.

Furthermore, the conference in Uganda is an opportune moment for this conversation – the host country itself has begun to embrace the harm reduction approach in response to its own domestic drug use challenges.

60+ NGOs working in Africa call upon ICASA 2021 to centre the importance of harm reduction in the HIV response

The Foundation Against Illicit Drugs and Child Abuse (FADCA) is pleased to release the report of the Social and Economic Impact of Illicit Drugs in Liberia. The survey was funded by Open Society Foundations for Global Drug Policy through its subsidiary Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA). The report paints a picture of the trend of the drug problem in Liberia.

The ultimate method for deriving better policies is to understand the nuances of the drug problem, in terms of its social, health, economic and political impact. Such understanding must be based on cogent scientific evidence derived from empirical data. This survey has been embarked to ascertain rising youth debut in drug use; understand the social and economic causes of youth debut and impact of drug in Liberia. To determine the level of health risk based on experiences and feelings of drug users. Findings of the survey will be used as advocacy and strategic information tools for planning future intervention and policy actions. 


Keep up-to-date with drug policy developments by subscribing to the IDPC Monthly Alert.

Liberia: Social and economic impact of illicit drugs - baseline survey report

A Press Release from the Liberia Chapter of the West Africa Drug Policy Network (WADP)

The Liberia Chapter of the West Africa Drug Policy Network (WADPN) is saddened by the action of the government of Liberia to raid ghettos without considering the consequences of the action. The Network describes the action as a warlike approach to the drug problem in Liberia despite global calls on governments to change the old approach to the world’s drug problem.

The Network does not believe that government adequately counted the cost of the action, realizing the resettlement of ghetto occupants, violent action of state security in carrying out raids, rehabilitation of the thousands of drug users, risk in absorbing ghetto residents within communities as well as the political intolerance in solving a problem that some members of the Sirleaf led government has directly or indirectly created. We are of the ardent belief that government has made a useful but time-wise wrong choice in as much as following considerations did not precede the action.

Resettlement of ghetto occupants: On Wednesday, March 16, the government through the Ministry of Health invited partners including civil society actors to an emergency meeting aimed at finding possible resettlement space for occupants of ghettos. The Ministry officials said government has made a decision to raid ghettos and there was a need for civil society organizations and or development partners to provide space for resettlement of ghetto dwellers. Realizing the implications of the decision, civil society organizations advised that the action was not timely in as much as government did not put any resettlement mechanism in place. Additionally, government felt short over the years to empower or create enabling environment for empowerment of local institutions in the area of addressing drug use and dependent disorders. Government representatives at the meeting hammered the opinion of government that the decision was made and there was nothing to change it.

Violent Action of State Security in Carrying out Raid: State security actors perceive raid as an official order from government to exercise brutal and uncivil action against citizens (no matter what caliber of citizens). As far as the drug problem in Liberia is concerned, raid is an old mitigation approach, which has created more unresolved issues. Some of the issues range from forceful seizure of money and non-drug items that had never been accounted for. Failure of the part of state security to account for proceeds of raids is a semblance of drug related corruption. More besides, there are startling reports indicating security agents aiding drug traffickers, thereby ignoring their arrest. This is due to corruption issues related to drug money. Raid is an expensive security operation, which is part of the “war against drugs” – an approach to the world drug problem that has dismally failed to solve the problem. At no time has ghetto raid in Liberia led to arrest of international traffickers or people within their syndicates due to connections with people in government especially state security. Long term drug problem and the old failed approach of raiding ghettos continue to create indelible scars and burden on the government and people of Liberia, with raid creating more problems than the country can solve.

Rehabilitation of Thousands of Drug Users Living in Ghettos: There is no rehabilitation program for people suffering from controlled drug and substance disorders. We missed out as a nation and people when the United Nations afforded us the opportunity of disarmament, demobilization, rehabilitation and resettlement of former fighters – a process on which millions of donor fund was spent. We are all aware that controlled drugs and substances were part of the ‘arms and ammunitions used to fight our civil wars’. It is not strange to any of us in Liberia that young people were conscripted into fighting forces and drugged to fight wars. We negated addressing the drug habit of former fighters during the DDRR program; a choice that haunts us today with rising youth debut in drug use culminating from peer pressure, organic solidarity and differential association.

Risk of Absorbing Ghetto Dwellers in Communities: Discarding ghettos without temporary shelter or congenial residence for occupants is a direct communication for them to return to the communities. There are several risk factors association with this return some of which can be listed as follows:

Other young people who secretly admire them will have easy access to associate with them (differential association) thereby introducing new group of youths into their habit.

Some ghetto dwellers returning in the communities have relatives who they will live with. In as much as their habit remain with them, some of their relatives will ultimately share their pains, habit, joy or whatsoever (organic solidarity). This leads to deeper family problems in the communities.

Our communities are already porous in the sense that drugged soup is served at most parties in the communities. The ghetto returnees will now add new flavor (example bone dust of long time dead people, etc.).

Liberia’s drug problem has long term political, social and economic intricacies and does not therefore deserve quick-fixed solution. Preliminary findings from current baseline survey being conducted by a member agency of the Network (Foundation Against Illicit Drugs and Child Abuse) suggests that 69% of people living in the ghettos are between the ages 25 – 39 years. A cross section of this population were actually conscripted and drugged to fight wars sponsored and led by some members of the current government.

Government insiders have intimated to us that President Sirleaf promised the West Africa Commission on Drugs (WACD) delegation visiting Liberia in late February that she would have taken action in response to the drug issue in the country prior to the end of her term of office. Our sources maintained that this pledge of the president was in response to the issue of creating policy framework aimed at supporting harm reduction, human rights and public health in dealing with drugs. We are not sure if the raid is part of the President’s promised intervention; as this approach is a complete contradiction of the West Africa common position towards the United Nations General Assembly (UNGASS) Special Session on the World Drug Problem taking place from April 18 – 22, 2016 in New York.

In view of the intricacies of the situation, we are of the opinion that the following recommendations will be useful in amicably addressing the problem:

Government should target drug related corruption within the security apparatus. This will encourage equal treatment of people with drug related crime. Clamp down on drug related corruption involving security topnotch and other officials of government will reduce drug flow within communities.

Raiding ghettos without resettlement and rehabilitation plan is a lip service to addressing the drug problem in Liberia. Ghetto raid has a history of one ghetto being replaced with at least five new ghettos. Occupants of raided ghettos seek settlement in new communities and forge new alliances. But should there be a government or institutionalized facilities for keeping and controlling the activities of drug users, incidence of new ghettos and rising youth debut into drug use could be minimized. Senegal is an example of countries in West Africa with this kind of model; and it is call harm reduction program. The government should consider identification of a suitable place to relocate these Ghetto occupants with a rehabilitation plan that will include the treatment centers, recreational and skill training programs for at least 3-5 years.

There is no contact details of people dislodged from the ghettos. Tracing them within communities in case of any eventuality becomes very difficult. There is a need to conduct mapping of ghettos in the country. Additionally, communities did not receive any form of advice from government as a way of reuniting ghetto dwellers with their families, friends and relatives. In the absence of such community awareness threats, anger, reprisal, rejection and violence can be hardly avoided.

Raiding ghettos without counting the cost: A bellicose approach to drug problem in Liberia

To end Liberia’s fourteen years of civil war, the United Nations launched the Demobilization, Disarmament, Reintegration and Rehabilitation (DDRR) Program for former fighters as a major strategy for ending violence and restoring civil order in the country. While the success of the DDRR program is laudable for reducing the wave of military violence in the country, probably attributed to the presence of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), the means and substance used by former war lords to affect the rationality and instill bravery in the fighters has yet to be dealt with. These fighters were children and adolescents conscripted and indoctrinated into the illicit use of drugs. Their former masters, the war lords are now rewarded politically but do not create enabling environment through public policy frameworks that would address their condition of drug addiction. The country does not have laws or any reform process that address public health and human rights issues associated with the drug abuse habit and behavior of these former fighters. Consequently they pose threat to peace and stability as they remain “soldiers of fortune”; and they have adequate ability to promote the spread of HIV from two fronts: 1) they can commercialize their bodies through same sex to generate the needed resources to support their habit and 2) as a hidden population of intravenous drug users, they always use one needle to inject drug.

United Nations’ intervention strategy for the Liberian conflict had three pronged approaches: Disarmament, Recovery and Reconstruction. It is around these precepts that various strategic documents were written in successive order. The documents including the Peace Building Priority Plan, Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS), Agenda for Transformation (AfT), etc. are being supported locally and international to ensure that the country does not experience relapse. In these documents there is nothing envisioned to address the human rights and health conditions of a segment of population that has been programmed as vehicle for instability. Except the public health law which emphasizes criminalization of illicit drug usage punishable by imprisonment without rehabilitation, Liberia does not have any law in her public policy books as a drug reform regime. Consequently anybody caught by state security actors in relation to perceived ‘drug crime’ is sent to prison with little or no legal proceedings. The Bureau of Correction and Rehabilitation which has oversight responsibility for prisoners does not have any rehabilitation program. This is a chain of vulnerability of state resilience and stability.

Keep up-to-date with drug policy developments by subscribing to the IDPC Monthly Alert.

Dealing with drug problem from public health and human rights perspectives in Liberia

On January 17, 2014 the Foundation received an invitation from United Nations office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to form part of a Technical Coordinating Group” known as the National Coordinating Committees (NCC)”. Institutions that are involved in this National Coordinating Committees are:

United Nations office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), secretary to the committees.

Liberia Drugs Enforcement Agency (LDEA), Chair-person.

Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHWS), Co-hair.

Foundation Against Illicit Drugs and Child Abuse (FADCA), member.

National Aids Commission of Liberia, member.

Research Department, University of Liberia, member.

The Technical Coordinating Group is responsible for the identification of national public policy issues, developing national strategies and initiatives to combat the illicit use of drugs, organized crime and support national efforts, namely the Government on the nature, scope and impact of drugs and substances abuse as well as organized crime in the country. It provides a national forum where the interest and concern of stakeholders can be brought to the attention of people who deal with law, health, and social welfare. In keeping with its mandate, the Group is expected to meet once in every month but has since met three times.

In the spirit of good coordination among national institutions, FADCA presented several copies of the West Africa Commission on Drugs Report to each member of the Group. The report calls on regional governments to develop drug policy reforms.

In furtherance of our drug policy advocacy, FADCA remains in collaborative contact with regional partners, including the West Africa Commission on Drugs (WACD) and the West Africa Civil Society on Drugs Policy Reform to which FADCA’s Executive Director is the focal person. The Foundation (FADCA) is also in contact with Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) n which the Foundation Executive Director is currently serving as a focus on Liberia.

FADCA was asked to steer the formation of local civil society coalition that will advocate for reform on drug policy and other drug related issues in Liberia. At a meeting called January 15, 2014 by OSIWA National Project Coordinator, civil society organizations agreed that FADCA was well placed to lead the coalition formation and steer its affairs. The coalition was formed in May 2014 and named Coalition Against Illicit Drugs Trafficking and Abuse In Liberia (CADTAL). FADCA represented the coalition at the regional coordination meeting in Dakar, Senegal under the auspices of WACD. At a local meeting of Coalition members held in UNODC office on the 4th of July the FADCA presented copies of the West African Commission on Drugs report to members of the coalition.

Presenting the report, FADCA Executive Director told member organizations of the coalition and government agencies represented at the meeting that civil society organizations in the West African region are working along with the Commission to advocate for reform through publication of materials from international partners. “We must join forces to reform our drug laws, taking public health and human rights into consideration,” Mr. Alphonso Quenneh said. He further noted “we should use interdiction rather than criminalization”.

The report was embraced by UNODC Acting Country Representative, Mr. Yilaa Woltis Se. However some participants at the meeting particularly from the Drugs Enforcement Agency (DEA) in Liberia said that reforming the drug law would lay more emphasis on individual rights and set the pace for more farmers to get involve while youth in particular will practice public smoking of narcotics. For its part the National AIDS Commission accepted the fact that repressive laws help to increase HIV/AIDS, and that reforming drug laws with emphasis on public health is in the interest of Liberia.

At the July 4th meeting, members of the Technical Coordinating Group and the Coalition unanimously agreed to suspend meetings due to the intensity of Ebola outbreak in the country and in observance of government’s ban on public gathering. It was agreed that meetings will resume immediately when Liberia is declared Ebola free.
In July 2014 the Open Society Foundation for Global Drugs Policy initiated a program through the University of Legon Faculty of Law to study capacity building on Drug Policy and Human Rights in which two members of the coalition benefited through certification.

FADCA starts advocating for drug policy reform in Liberia

Liberia’s new Controlled Drug and Substances Act and the associated Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency Act illustrate the Liberian government’s interest in adapting its legislation on drug control to place a strong emphasis on enforcement activities. According to the U.S. Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, “Liberia is not a significant transit country for illicit narcotics, but the country’s weak law-enforcement capacity, porous border controls, and proximity to major drug transit routes leave it vulnerable to becoming one. While Liberia is not a significant producer of illicit narcotics, local drug use, particularly marijuana, is common.” Accordingly, the U.S. supports law reform in Liberia, having pronounced that new laws can “create a stronger foundation for more effective law enforcement activities,” and noting that under existing legislation “defendants can only be charged under public health laws.”

Liberia has ratified (or acceded to) the three main drug control international conventions which aim to control illicit drugs by reducing their supply, in particular through criminal sanctions. While Liberia must uphold its obligations under these conventions, Liberia must also fulfill its obligation under other international treaties including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights — all of which Liberia has ratified. When poorly developed and implemented, drug policies can lead to serious human rights violations such as police harassment, arbitrary detention, disproportionate sentencing and incarceration, ill-treatment, torture and discrimination. As described by the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC), since “one of the stated aims of the international drug control conventions is to protect the health of individuals and society from the dangerous effects of drug use,” human rights laws are also relevant because they guarantee the right to life and the right of “everyone to enjoy the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.” Problematic drug laws can not only exacerbate the harms associated with drug dependence, but also lead to a wide range of other preventable health conditions, such as HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV). Under human rights law, states have a binding legal obligation to take steps to realize the right to health, including steps “necessary for… prevention, treatment and control of epidemic, endemic… and other diseases” and “the creation of conditions which would assure to all medical services and medical attention in the event of sickness.”

Foundation Against Illicit Drug and Child Abuse (FADCA)

Region

Translations

Related Content

60+ NGOs working in Africa call upon ICASA 2021 to centre the importance of harm reduction in the HIV response

Liberia: Social and economic impact of illicit drugs - baseline survey report

Raiding ghettos without counting the cost: A bellicose approach to drug problem in Liberia

Dealing with drug problem from public health and human rights perspectives in Liberia

FADCA starts advocating for drug policy reform in Liberia

Review of the Liberian Controlled Drug and Substances Act and Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency Act