Women and Harm Reduction International Network

The goal of WHRIN is to improve the availability, quality, relevance and accessibility of health, social and legal services for women, trans and gender diverse people who use drugs.

The vision of WHRIN is that all self-identified women who use drugs have unfettered access to available, quality, relevant health, social and legal services in a context of upholding human rights free from stigma, discrimination and criminalisation.

WHRIN’s work addresses a critical gap: the lack of harm reduction services for women worldwide. WHRIN occupies a unique position in the harm reduction world. Led by women and gender doverse people with a history of drug use, it is a highly inclusive network that proactively incorporates and engages a broad range of stakeholders. WHRIN seeks to build linkages among women, trans and gender doverse people who use drugs, non-government organisations and international non-government organisations, feminist organisations, service providers, national governments, relevant UN organisations and development partners – in order to effectively achieve the mission of expanding availability and accessibility of gender-responsive harm reduction services.

WHRIN is guided by the following set of values:

Ø Harm Reduction Principles

Ø Meaningful involvement

Ø Intersectional Feminism

Ø Inclusivity – of all identifying as women, and of the full range of stakeholders who work with WUD

Ø Anti-prohibition and anti-criminalisation

Ø Innovation and Responsiveness

Ø Accountability – including by identifying and reporting on harmful drug policies and human rights violations, and on gender biases that impact women, trans and gender diverse people who use drugs, including gender-based violence

Ø Partnerships

Date founded

2009             

Structure type

Network             

Contact informations