Support. Don’t Punish Activities! Part 4: Sierra Leone
Freetown, Sierra Leone
Adapted from the programme report by the SSDP Sierra Leone National Leadership.
Student for Sensible Drug Policy Sierra Leone Chapter together with the Institute for Drug Control and Human Security (IDCHS) organized a float parade starting from the junction of the State House, the Sierra Leone Law Court, and the Law Officers Department to the National Stadium on the 25th June 2022. The Float Parade saw the Police, People Who Use Drugs (PWUD) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Officers coming together to raise awareness of the Importance of the Global Day of Action and call on the Government to work with partners in reviewing the National Drug Act 2008 with a key focus on the Harm Reduction and the Human Rights of People Who Use Drugs.
The Float parade exercises by SSDP, IDCHS, NDLEA, Sierra Leone Police, and People Who Use Drugs (PWUD) demonstrated that there is hope our campaign would be a success in the end. Seeing law officers amongst people who they normally chase was a big move of solidarity. This is because ideas were shared amongst them, which built an understanding amongst law enforcement of the needs and wants of People Who Use Drugs.
At the end of the Float Parade, the opinions of SSDP-SL, IDCHS and PWUD were recorded, where they explain clearly what they want the Government to do with regard to drugs and people who use drugs in the Country.
SSDP also distributed condoms, sanitary pads and toiletries to people who use drugs from the two (2) main drug-prone communities in the Central District of Freetown namely Sugar Bar and Bone Suffer. These communities surround the biggest market in the central District called Duff Cut and these communities are well known to be prone to STDs, unwanted pregnancy, cholera, and other related ailments.
