Project to prevent HIV, crime-related drug use

The project will be implemented by Family Health International (FHI) Bangladesh, it said.

Home Secretary Safar Raj Hossain was the chief guest at the meeting while USAID Mission Director Gene V George was the special guest with Mohammad Mohsin, additional secretary to home ministry and chairman, Steering Committee, Tripartite Project, in the chair.

FHI Country Director Dr Robert Kelly said the recent epidemiological data show that the Bangladesh epidemic is primarily driven through Injecting Drug Users (IDU). It is estimated that the country has 4.6 million drug users, among whom at least 20,000 are IDUs. There are more than 7,000 IDUs in Dhaka itself.

By collaborating with home ministry and Bangladesh Prisons, USAID and FHI will work with prisons staff to reduce the number of untreated and still addicted drug users released back into the community. By working with Police, FHI can train police officers to identify addicts and refer them to detoxification and treatment facilities run by NGOs funded by USAID and FHI, said the press release.

Safar Raj noted that the project was a good step forward in Government of Bangladesh (GoB) and Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) collaboration and it will utilise new, evidence-based approaches in HIV and crime prevention.

Safar Raj expressed hope that this new partnership between communities, health service providers and law enforcement agencies will help minimise the social and health problems associated with drug use.

George assured home ministry and the GoB of USAID's continuing support in preventing drug use and HIV in Bangladesh.

Senior officials of USAID, home ministry, and FHI, representative from the Police, Prisons and Department of Narcotics Control (DNC), and several non-governmental agencies attended the formal launch ceremony in the city.