DUSHANBE
, June 25, 2011, Asia-Plus – Event dedicated to the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking took place in People’s Friendship Park in Dushanbe on June 25.
The action was organized by the USAID Dialogue on HIV and TB Project, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Youth Committee for Sports and Tourism Affairs, Global Fund and NGOs working in drug abuse prevention.
Young people gathered at the Peoples’ Friendship Park in Dushanbe on June 25 to show their determination in the fight for a society free of drug abuse. The event highlighted the danger that illicit drugs pose to humanity and raised awareness of drug abuse prevention.
Ms. Shodiya Mirhaidaorva of the Dialogue on HIV and TB Project says the main objective of the event was in expressing solidarity with those struggling for creation of society free of drug abuse.
There were competitions, quizzes and musical performances about efforts made to fight drug abuse.
Special emphasis was made on the necessity of HIV testing in order to start treatment on time if virus is detected. The participants learned about drug addiction treatment in narcological dispensaries throughout the country. The USAID Dialogue on HIV and TB Project conducted similar events in Khujand, Kulob, and Qurghon Teppa.
Due to Tajikistan’s proximity to one of the biggest global opium producers and drug trafficking routes, rising illegal drug use is a critical problem.
More than half of Tajikistan’s cases of HIV infection are attributed to intravenous drug use.
The growing numbers of intravenous drug users, unfavorable socio-economic conditions, and limited awareness about drug prevention could lead to increased HIV infection in Tajikistan.
The USAID Dialogue on HIV and TB Project provides technical assistance, training, and direct outreach services to increase access to quality HIV and TB prevention and treatment services among the most at-risk populations, such as sex workers, intravenous drug use, prisoners, and migrants.
The program is implemented by a consortium of non-governmental organizations led by Population Services International (PSI) and includes Project HOPE, AIDS Foundation East-West and PF “Kazakh Union of People Living with HIV/AIDS in RK”.
The USAID Dialogue on HIV and TB project is one of many assistance projects supported by the American people through United States Agency for International Development. Since 1993, the American people, through the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe, have provided about $984 million in programs that support Tajikistan’s democratic institutions, health care, education, and economic growth.
According to the statistical data from the Ministry of Health, 7,856 drug users, including 4,750 injecting drug users (IDUs), were officially registered in Tajikistan as of April 1, 2011.
The International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is a United Nations International Day against drug abuse and the illegal drug trade. It has been held annually since 1988 on June 26, a date chosen to commemorate Lin Zexu”s dismantling of the opium trade in Humen, Guangdong, just before the First Opium War in China. The observance was instituted by General Assembly resolution 42/112 of 7 December 1987.
