Nagaland: Spotlight on stigma around women drug users

Our Correspondent
Kohima, Aug. 23 (EMN): A panel discussion among social activists on Sunday raised the need to do away with stigma and discrimination against women who use drugs; and stressed on the role of the society and church in solving prevailing issues.

This was put forth in a virtual panel discussion on ‘substance abuse and women, church and family’, hosted by the state-level coordinating agency Kripa Foundation Nagaland in partnership with Prodigals’ Home, Dimapur and department of Social Welfare on the evening of August 23.

Delivering the opening address, the regional director (Northeast) of Kripa Foundation, Abou Mere, stated that the webinar should serve as a new beginning of a joint effort among the churches, NGOs, health activists and the government department to recognise and address the specific needs of women who use drugs.

He said it must identify appropriate ways to reduce the extent of harm associated with substance use, stating that women who use drugs continue to face challenges and increase their vulnerability to HIV and Aids, and other co-morbidity due to high levels of stigma.

He pointed out that women face ‘multiple stigma and discrimination everywhere’ due to lack of support and sensitive service in the state.

Mere maintained that limited or no access to harm reduction, drug-dependency treatment, sexual and health right services, and general health services for women cause serious effects on the life of women who use drugs.

He also added that designing and implementing key intervention for public, private and religious programmes by recognising women who use drugs and meaningfully involving them in implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programmes with proper research is a paramount urgency.

The director also stressed on the need to eliminate and reduce cultural prejudice, stigma and discrimination.

He maintained that there is a clear need for systematic and comprehensive advocacy in implementing strategies and policies for meaningful involvement of women who use drugs.

Further, he stated that appropriate service should be ensured to women who use drugs in harmony with gender equality, human rights, universal public health and sustainable development goal frameworks, which the government of Nagaland should take into account to formulate policies.

Anna Hairang, programme officer at North East Technical Support Unit, highlighted the factors and reasons that influence women to start using substances such as loneliness, depression, fatigue, low-self esteem owing to inability to cope-up with life problems.

According to her, women whose partners use substances are more prone to use drugs and other substances. Failure to manage chronic pain related to women, sexual abuse and trauma are other factors that initially make women use drugs, she said.

She stressed on the need to understand addiction; that it is a disease, which needs to be treated. She asserted that discrimination also prevents a person from receiving treatment for substance abuse and urged to do away with it in order to facilitate treatment and services.

Hairang also lamented that there are limited service centres for women substance users, stating that addiction is a disease that needs support.

Another panellist, Centena Aier, counsellor (therapist), while speaking on ‘substance use and church response with emphasis on women ministry’, urged for the extension of the role of religious organisations.

She pointed out the impact of substance abuse in the society, observing that women who use drugs are less likely to have support, unlike men, for treatment; while women from rural society face more problems.

Accordingly, she said that the church has significantly more to offer to its people; to reach out to those persons and families in distress apart from ‘spiritual feedings’.

Aier underlined the urgency to have a restorative community, to reach those who are affected by drugs and those who feel alienated.

The speaker then suggested the development of a task force to intervene in psychological illness and crisis through churches by including pastoral staff, with responsibility to offer training and counselling.

She also stressed on the need to spread awareness across the religious institutions – to include substance abuse and mental illness as themes in the church education curriculum and also provide platforms and forums for those recovering from substance abuse in the form of testimonials.

Meanwhile, Dr. Joyce Angami, president of Nagaland Medical Council, shared about the effects of alcohol on reproductive health; stating that fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), which causes lifelong implications, is preventable.

She added that sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is prevalent among those mothers who use alcohol during pregnancy, stating that alcohol and substance use have a lot of impact on reproductive health. Therefore, she encouraged a healthy living.

Another panellist, Vitono Haralu, founder of an NGO called Pathfinders, pointed out that the society in Nagaland ‘still fails to address the root cause’ and the issue of alcoholism and addiction, as it is considered a taboo to open up even in families.

She stressed on the need to rendering support to those who use substances and ‘not reject or be judgemental’, adding that the society needs to be sensitised about the impact.