Professional Documents
Culture Documents
AU GU ST 2 0 1 5 I N T ERI M REPORT
CON T EN T S
HUMAN RIGHTS Background....................1
Aims and Objectives ......2
CON T ACT :
Shaun Shelly
Advocacy &
Psychosocial
Coordinator (PWUD)
shaun@tbhivcare.org
+27 21 425 0050
Jos of Mainline talking to community group members
1
AI M S AN D OBJ ECT I V ES
Aim s
To create a mechanism whereby human rights violations can be recorded and dealt with in an
appropriate manner and be used for advocacy in the promotion of the rights of drug users.
Obje c t ive s
1. To record human rights abuses suffered by drug users as a result of their drug use (directly or
indirectly)
2. To offer referral paths to legal services as and when needed
3. To collect data around human rights abuses that can be used for advocacy purposes
4. To help address the sense of helplessness and frustration expressed by the PWUD community
around human rights violations
5. To empower drug users and their networks to document human rights violations so that accurate
data can be collected and used for advocacy
ACT I V I T I ES AN D FI N DI N GS TO DAT E
Destruction of syringes
Confiscating harm reduction packs
Illegal searches, including cavity search in public
Police observation of service delivery
Arrest without processing
Confiscation of general belongings Needles destroyed using a wire
Refusal of medical treatment cutter by members of the South
African Police Services in Pretoria.
2
Re c ording of viola t ions
PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED
While the principle and logic behind the development of a specific human rights violations recording
document was sound and such a document is indeed necessary, there have been limitations around
the practical application of the tool. Many violations have been reported anecdotally and via the diaries
kept by peer-outreach workers and professional nurse counsellors. Service beneficiaries have been
reluctant to spend the required time documenting the violations. Part of this is due to their fear of being
identified at the project by law enforcement agencies. Another factor is that peer outreach workers are
also pressed for time, and as such service delivery takes president. When a peer outreach worker is
delivering services on the street, for example in Pretoria, they cover a three-hour long route and meet
people in busy streets where normal life is carrying on around them. This is not conducive to the
recording of violations. This has resulted in very few forms being completed, which does not give an
accurate figure regarding the numbers of violations taking place. For this reason and alternative option
was developed, not to replace the old form and process, but rather to augment it.
Re sponse s a nd Enga ge m e nt
DRUG-USING COMMUNITY
The forms initially developed were introduced to service beneficiaries via the CAG meetings. This was
well received. Although there has not been a large number of forms being completed, there was value
because the community felt that their needs were being heard. Regular feedback is provided to the
community around issues of human rights abuses.
Data from the human rights project will also be used for the Open Society Foundation funded RUN2016
project which will look at drug policy in South Africa, including the effect on human rights, ahead of the
UNGASS on drugs in 2016.
M OV I N G FORWARD
There are three main objectives that we hope to achieve before the next report:
Improved quantitative data recording around the number and types of human rights
violations being experienced by service beneficiaries
The presentation of baseline human rights data drawn from a variety of sources,
including community advisory group minutes, records of community engagements, outreach
worker diaries and interviews, service delivery experience, the formative assessment and
the RAR study
Improved access to legal services for service beneficiaries.