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Female drug users in double jeopardy
KATHMANDU, MAY 14 -
Female drug users are more likely to face social stigma than their male counterparts are. They are in double jeopardy: one as a female and the other as a drug user.
Smriti Rai (name changed), a former drug user, was forced out of her family after they knew she was an addict.
“The family’s behaviour towards me completely changed as they started treating me as an outcast,” she said.
She left her house in Nawalparasi and came to Kathmandu where she was taken to a rehab centre by her friends.
“Although I am free from drugs now, I am unwilling to go home due to the stigma I might be subjected to.” Presently, she is undergoing treatment at Dristi Nepal, a rehab centre for women drug addicts.
Pravas Rana, senior director of Narconon Nepal, an organisation working for rehabilitation of drug users, said, “Unlike her male counterpart, a female drug user cannot be integrated in the family and society even after rehabilitation.” Rana said these women might resort to prostitution and hence be victims of HIV/AIDS once they are rejected by the family and the society. Shanti Pradhan, another former drug user, has an equally poignant tale about how she took to drugs. Pradhan, who got into drugs through her boyfriend initially, was sexually harassed when she approached a drug peddler to get drugs on credit.
“One day when I had no money to buy enough drugs, I asked the peddler to give me some on credit. He said he would give me the drugs free of cost if I accompanied him to bed,” Pradhan burst into tears. “I accepted his proposal merely for a dose of drug.” Narconon Nepal Director Puja Kanwar said female addicts are more vulnerable to social stigma also because of the traditional mindset and cultural stereotypes. “The parents don’t take their daughters even for treatment fearing that they may not be able to marry off their daughters if they are labelled as drug addicts.”
Female drug users have dismal access to services due to lack of trained service providers and victim-friendly attitude, she adds. “The conventional attitude towards women must change first to ensure women a life of dignity and respect.”
Posted on: 2010-05-15 08:32
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