“Help Impossible to Ignore” - A guide to ensure shelter, psychosocial and legal services for women who use drugs and experience violence

The present recommendations are intended for people and organisations responding to gender-based violence, i.e. harm reduction organisations, service and shelter providers for survivors of violence, as well as multi-disciplinary collaborations and teams responding to gender-based violence.

Women from all social groups are prone to gender- based violence. However, women who use drugs and women from cross-groups are exposed to far greater danger of abuse.

The present document examines the key issues and specific needs of women faced with domestic and intimate partner violence and identifies the existing legal and policy frameworks that NGOs and harm reduction workers can draw upon. It also suggests the following comprehensive approach to helping women in situations of gender-based violence that involves three key steps:

1. Prevention of gender-based violence;
2. Provision of adequate support and protection;
3. Advocacy for legislative changes (gather and document information, manage strategic cases to be submitted to courts and/or national and international human rights organisations, and amend legal regulations).

The document concludes with recommendations for harm reduction workers, social workers, peer counsellors, NGOs that provide services for survivors of violence and work to prevent professional and psychological burnout.