By Kemo Cham
Habib T. Kamara, Executive Director of Social Linkages for Youth Development and Child Link (SLYDCL), has renewed his call for the Sierra Leone government to review the country’s drug law, citing its failure to address drug trafficking, while worsening the protracted substance abuse crisis in the country.
Mr Kamara said the current law, which was enacted in 2008, criminalises persons with substance abuse problem, whom he said are the real victims, while protecting the real criminals who manufacture or import the drugs. The activist was speaking to ManoReporters in the wake of the arrest of scores of young people during a raid in Malama over allegations of theft.
A police unit was deployed in the community in the west end of the capital Freetown after reports of thefts. Those who reported the theft had no specific suspects.
“Whenever police are investigating crime, hideouts and ghettos, where they believe persons with substance abuse problem hangout, are the first target,” said Kamara.
SLYDCL is a civil society organization that works with young people who use drug, with the goal of combating substance abuse through the international approved harm reduction model. It provides medical care, rehabilitation support, and education to at-risk youth and children associated with drugs, especially those who inject drugs. This group is categorized among people considered as the Key Populations – those who are disproportionately affected by diseases—most notably HIV—and face significant legal, social, or structural barriers that limit their access to essential care.
Over the years, SLYDCL has been working with the Sierra Leone Police (SLP), as part of a Global Fund supported initiative that encourages the use of harm reduction approach in their response to drug related offences. Through this, many police officers have received training on the subject matter and on how to collaborate with civil society organizations and service providers to help provide support for persons with substance abuse problem.
“There is this clause in harm reduction: do not punish the drug users. Give public health attention to these people, because if somebody has a substance abuse problem and you incarcerate that person, the drug problems will only increase,” said Kamara.
It was on this basis that the SLYDCL Executive Director was called by the police after the arrest of young people in Malama. He said the police wanted him to confirm if those arrested were part of his network of persons with substance abuse. It turns out, many of them were. And luckily, he said, no one was caught with any prohibited substance. All of them were eventually released.
However, the suspects had been kept for three to four days in police cells, in violation of Constitutional provisions prohibiting detention of suspects for more than 74 hours without charge.
Among those detained was Abdulai (Not his real name). He is recovering from addiction to substance abuse, after undergoing rehabilitation in a government center over five months ago. Abdulai dropped out of school as a result of his addiction to Tramadol, a prescription opioid pain reliever used to manage moderate to severe pain. This is one of the top five drugs at the heart of Sierra Leone’s current drug epidemic. Abdulai was introduced to the drug by his study mates at first year in university, forcing him to drop from school. But the 22-year-old said he is now totally “clean” and looks forward to returning to class in the next academic year which begins in October.
“A lot of people who are into drugs know that it’s bad and they want to get out of it, but they need help,” he told ManoReporters.
“Addiction is a brain disease, you only manage it,” said Mustapha Keller, Harm Reduction Officer at SLYDCL. He stressed that to address the current drug crisis in the country, authorities must intentionally address gaps in the rehabilitation and reintegration programme.
This is part of holistic recommendations from SLYDCL.
“Harm Reducation should be in the law,” stressed Keller.
The National Drugs Control Act 2008 was enacted abruptly using an emergency certificate. It followed the unauthorized landing of a plane at the country’s Lungi International Airport. Aboard the plain, security forces found 700 kilograms of cocaine, valued at USD30million, and five automatic rifles and ammunition, among others.
“There was no anti-drug law at the time. So in order to prosecute the suspects, they rushed the piece of legislation to parliament under a certificate of emergency,” recalls Kamara.
Consequently, the law left out key issues, he said.
Despite promises, successive administrations have failed to review the law, which continue to inform the current response of security forces to drug offence cases.
While it looks forward to a review soon by President Julius Maada Bio, SLYDCL is using its relationship with the police leadership to influence the humane treatment of victims of the legal gap. Through its advocacy, a national curriculum on training the police on harm reduction is under development. Among others, it will guide police personnel on best practices in responding to cases, Kamara said.
“When the police mount a raid, they usually dug their hands in the pocket of the suspects. If that person has been injecting drug, when you came and they quickly put the needle in their pocket, you are likely to pierce your finger. And if the person is infected with HIV or any other disease, you are likely to have the viral infection,” explains Kamara.
He disclosed that a Consultant has been hired to work with SLYDCL, the National Human Rights Commission, the National AIDS Control Programme and National AIDS Secretariat, as well as the Key Populations, to achieve this.
“By 2027, that curriculum should be ready and handed to the police,” he said.
