Prevention services for minors in prisons

Transcription

1 Prevention services for minors in prisons Iulia-Veronica Broasca Project Manager, ARAS-Romanian Association Against-AIDS

2 Issues Up to 10% of all new HIV infections worldwide are attributed to injecting drug use and many of them are young people under 24 ARAS-Romanian Romanian Association Against AIDS developing HR services since % of the IDUs are under 18 66% of the IDUs are under 30

3 In 2005 the estimation no. of IDUs in Bucharest was (1% of the general population) In IDUs NEPs only available through international donors and implemented by only 3 NGOs Most of the pharmacies don t sell insuline syringes to IDUs

4 Georgia, Hungary, Slovenia and Romania reported that HIV prevalences among tested IDUs were less than 2%. There are discernable pattern in the differences between national HCV transmission rates for young IDUs and the same rates for IDUs of all ages. Studied showed that HCV is transmitted quite early in drug injecting career 75% of the young IDUs tested positive to HCV

5 In Estonia, prisoners represent 21% of new HIV cases in 2004 in the same year 12-13% of the prisoners were HIV positive (mostly male) Recent study showed that 10% of the IDU prisoners had started injecting drugs in prisons (most were between years old followed by those age and then over 30. Romania only 2 NEP pilot projects in 2 Romania only 2 NEP pilot projects in 2 penitenciaries; NONE for young people

6 2008 ARAS started implementing a prevention project in penitenciaries Increasing the access of the convicts in 15 penitentiaries (2 penitentiaries for minors approximately 300 young convicts) to blood and sexually transmitted infections services through informative sessions, training peer educators, broadcasting visual materials, fliers, distribution of condoms and lubricants the project will end up in June 2009.

7 The beginning of the project the intervention was not making any differences between the youth convicts and the adults The need of IEC sessions in the minors prisons was proven during the implementation by the lack of knowledge Huge resistences from the penitenciaries personnel CONDOMS are not for minors!!!

8 Discriminative regulations in the minors prisons no condoms, no lubricants, no syringes Young people under 18 can t be tested without the parent consent Teenagers until 16 don t have access to OST Prisons can be a death sentence to young inmates Criminalization of drug users/possesion/sex workers

9 Many studies indicate that incarceration of young IDUs increase the unsafe practices in prisons There is a clear difference in sexual behaviour between young IDUs and older ones frequently change of partners, sex under the influence, engagement in SW The lack of condoms and sterile injecting equipment make the penitenciaries institutions an extremly HIGH RISK enviroment for young inmates

10 Recommendations URGENT FOCUS on young IDU s needs Enabling a non-judgmental enviroment to provide young IDUs equal access to drug treatment, testing, prevention information i and HR services Change the regulation in minors prisons assuring to the young people the right to health (condoms, NEP, OST) Give to the young convicts another chance to LIFE not to a DEATH SENTENCE

11 References: EHRN Young people&injecting drug use ( Youth Rise