Towards a gender-sensitive approach to drug demand reduction: a process within the United Nations system

This Narcotics Bulletin article outlines how a coordinated analysis of gender resulted in international recognition of a need to address women in drug research and programmes. The paper outlines how three United Nations (UN) organisations, shared an interest in examining problems related to drugs and women in their preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women, including drug control, HIV and AIDS and drug abuse. The collaborative efforts of these agencies resulted in international recognition of women and drugs through a number of actions, including a UN System-Wide Plan of Action entitled Women and Drug Abuse: a Gender Perspective.

Findings from this research highlighted: drug abuse among adolescent girls in rural Africa; women involved in drug trafficking and abuse in the Caribbean; the impact of drug abuse upon non-drug-using family members in Central Asia; and a poverty, tradition and lack of local health-care facilities among rural hill tribes in South-East Asia, which leads to opium use in pregnant women. Findings also demonstrated that the number of people affected by illicit drugs is much greater than the number of actual drug abusers. This results in additional burdens in terms of household security and economic survival of families.[adapted from author]