SKOUN, Lebanese Addictions Center Launches the project
“A Greater Respect for Drug Addicts’ Rights”
The number of people who are addicted to drugs is increasing every year in Lebanon. People addicted to drugs are extremely marginalized, they are still perceived as criminals and not suffering from the disease of addiction.
In an effort to change the treatment and perception of people who are addicted to drugs, SKOUN, Lebanese Addictions Center in collaboration with Tripoli Bar Association launched the project “A Greater Respect for Drug Addicts’ Rights” in the framework of the Afkar 2 program, financed by the EU and managed by the Office of the Minister of State for Administrative Reform (OMSAR). This project aims at highlighting and ensuring the legal right of drug addicts when under custody.
A press conference was held on Tuesday April 15, 2008 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Hamra, in order to launch this project, in presence of a great number of social figures, judges, lawyers, and members of the police force and specialized investigation members.
Mrs. Chantal Chedid, a member of SKOUN and active member in the execution of the project, introduced the Center and emphasized the importance of the collaboration between the European Union and SKOUN which started with the Afkar 1 program. “Our collaboration began with a previous project aiming at increasing the awareness of the effects and dangers related to different psycho active substances in Lebanese public schools”, she explained.
Mrs. Maha Houssami, head of the prevention department at SKOUN and coordinator of the project, introduced the project. “This action, aims at increasing awareness with the public and concerned parties’ on the treatment and conditions of drug addicts’. As well as ensuring that drug addicts have access to suitable treatment and medical services rather than fall victim to a law that is not always being properly applied. It also aims at providing a psychological help and a follow up needed in order for drug addicts not to be excluded from society. “The precise execution of the 673/1998 and its amendment goes in the same line of the project”, she concluded.
The law no 673 issued on March 16, 1998 states that drug addicts should be treated as ill people in need of treatment and not as criminals.
However, if they are arrested for drug use, addicts may be sentenced– Wherein they have two choices according to the law, either they can be sentenced to jail or otherwise sent for rehabilitation in a center where they can stay for six months and be released if they successfully complete their treatment.
Judges may decide to send drug addicts to a rehabilitation centre if they were arrested for the first time, however this does not happen systematically. The conditions of their detention are often extremely harsh, whether they are remanded in custody or sentenced to jail. The current law is incomplete and does not take into consideration the complexity of addictions. It does not offer effectively drug addicts the treatment they need which, in turn, endangers their chances of being cured and reintegrating in society.
This is what the project aims for: advising to take care of the drug addict by providing him the right and accurate help. Criminal behavior often is associated with drug addiction. However, although addiction gives rise to the criminal behavior it in itself is not a crime. This effort coupled with a thorough application of the 1998 law, will contribute in reducing the number of people suffering from drug addiction while not receiving the right care, and in turn reduce the crime rate serving the benefit of society at large.
Me. Nizar Saghieh, the project’s Legal Advisor, insisted on the urgent need of implementing the 1998 law and described it as a law that offers the drug addict the chance to end this cycle. “When the law will be implemented, the concerned people, i.e lawyers and judges will be asked not to judge and punish the drug addict but to understand and help him, and respect his rights.”
The project plans on organizing awareness seminars for head of Gendarmeries and investigators of the special police force, in addition to round tables for judges, not to mention training workshops for new police recruits, and lobbying activities with concerned institutions and parties (judges, media, ministries, MPs and the public at large). The role of the media is crucial as it contributes in raising awareness among the public and changing its perception on the long run. These programs will through until July 2009.
Mrs Youmna Ghorayeb, representing the Ministry of State for Administrative Reform and coordinator of the Afkar program, stressed on the support offered by his Excellency Jean Oghassabian to the project. She also announced that the Ministry will be organizing a round table on the same subject in order to carry on this action.
The press conference ended by the projection of the trailer of the documentary “Min I La” directed by “Dar Onboz”. The movie is aimed at giving us a first hand account from the addicts themselves and their families about what it is to be drug addicted and the hardships they endured when their addiction was treated as a criminal behavior by the security and judicial system. This will serve as platform from which to begin the debate of how to best coordinate between the police force, judicial system and treatment centers to ensure that drug addicts receive the proper care they need to treat the addiction.
About the project:
The comprehensive goal of the project is to highlight and encourage the respect of drug addicts’ rights who are detained. In order to achieve this goal, the approach is based on training programs for policemen (national Gendarmerie and the investigation squad), raising awareness among judges in addition to lobbying in order to allow for a more representative implementation of the law in force. This will affect on a long-term basis practices implemented during any situation involving drug addicts. Moreover, it aims at achieving other goals such as integrating substances differentiation according to their level of danger as part of the system of sentencing.
About SKOUN: Skoun, headed by Ms. Nadya Mikdashi and is the first outpatient facility specialized in treating addictions in Lebanon. Established in July 2003, Skoun offers psychological, psychiatric and medical treatment for drug, tobacco, and alcohol users, as well as prevention and awareness programs to schools, universities and the general public. (Skoun is located at 97, Monot Street, Nakhlé Bldg., 5th Floor, Tel.: 01 202 714).