In the Name of Treatment: Ending Abuses in Compulsory Drug Detention Centers

January 23, 2012

An opinion piece published in the journal Addiction recounts the litany of abuses at government-run compulsory drug treatment centers inflicted upon people who are suspected of using illicit drugs. Across the world, men, women, and even children are detained in the name of drug treatment, and physically beaten, psychologically abused, and forced to labor for free while little to no evidence-based addiction treatment is ever provided.

The authors lend their voice to the many calls to close these centers that have been issued by high-ranking UN officials and international donors during the past few years. Despite international pressure, these centers continue to operate, and in some countries more are being built. These centers are inevitably places that harbor egregious human rights violations.

Read the full article online.

Tagged : compulsory detention   drug treatment   forced labor   physical abuse   United Nations