It also calls for better health-care access for drugs-dependent women and more funding to prevent and treat drug abuse among women, while condemning the extrajudicial targeting of people suspected of illicit drug-related activity.
“The number of women arrested for drug-related crimes has increased significantly. Female prisoners and sex workers are at particular risk of drug use. There has been a significant increase in the number of women arrested for drug-related crimes and, once imprisoned, drug use is more prevalent among female prisoners than male prisoners,” reads part of the report.
The ongoing war against narcotics in the country is now focusing on controlling demand, supply and harmful effects because the approach of arresting and interrogating suspects has proved ineffective, the Drug Control and Enforcement Commission (DCEC) said recently.
“There is no way we can use the same strategy and approach for over 40 years when almost the whole world is changing its ways of dealing with the problem,” DCEC director general Rogers Sianga explained during the launch of a new international study on illicit drugs in Dar es Salaam.
Since beginning operations earlier this year, the anti-narcotics agency has adapted the strategy of seeking to reduce supply, curbing demand and dealing with the harmful effects of drugs abuse.
According to the report, 78 per cent of female drug addicts are HIV-positive compared to 50 per cent of male drug addicts.
Women are more affected because of the nature of the work they do, such as commercial sex, in order to get the money to buy drugs. The INCB report also suggests there is a strong link between sex work and drug use. Some women turn to sex work as a means to support a drug-dependent lifestyle, while sex workers may use drugs to cope with the demands and nature of their work.
“HIV infections and mental health disorders are more prevalent among women who abuse drugs. For female prisoners in particular, separation from their communities, homes and families has a considerably detrimental impact and increases the risk of depression and anxiety disorders,” the report said.
It further highlights the importance of prevention programmes targeted specifically at prisoners, pregnant women, people living with HIV/AIDS, and sex workers, and calls on member states to collect and share data on the specific needs of women affected by drug abuse, to improve prevention, treatment and rehabilitation.
United Nations (UN) country coordinator Alvaro Rodriguez said the fight against drugs require a unified response by governments because it involves illegal supply lines between nations and within nations.
“Fighting drugs trafficking requires balancing between interrupting drug supply and preventing and treating the harmful impact of drugs on people’s health. The illicit trade in drugs fosters transnational organised crime networks, systemic corruption, and widespread violence,” said Rodriguez.
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