Jul 18 - ERG Launches ‘Connected Health’ Initiative
The Equality Rights Group has today launched ‘Connected Health’, a joint campaigning initiative tackling public health issues in the community in partnership with rehabilitation therapy organisation ‘Stay Clean’.
Chairman Felix Alvarez said: “Too often, organisations can fail their communities by virtue of remaining isolated or too zealously ‘owning’ a piece of notional ‘territory’ which, when caring is at the core of our approach, can be overcome with the kind of solidarity and benefits which a collaborative, ‘joined-up’ approach can bring.
“I am privileged to work alongside Damian Broton and ‘Stay Clean’, given the fact that not only is Damian an experienced, worthy professional in the field of rehabilitative and therapeutic approaches to addiction, he is also an admirable and honourable human being with an important role already played in the establishment of Bruce’s Farm and related services.
“ERG, for its part, has established itself in the field of Sexual Health For All through its campaign work and on-going dialogue with the Minister for Health and GHA in the service of our community.
“While sexual health and substance abuse are not and do not have to be necessarily related, the elements necessary for effectively overcoming the public health issues arising from these two concerns do create overlaps; and it is for this reason that, in mutually discussing the issues, Damian Broton and I, each respectively representing our NGOs, have decided to work closely via the creation of a joint project such as ‘Connected Health.
“Both our organisations advocate the importance of open approaches to community education and the overcoming of stigma; and to the creation of positive treatment environments and support. Similarly, both ERG and Stay Clean identify areas where approaches and treatments need to be improved. In respect of the specific question of substance abuse in Gibraltar, ‘Connected Health’ proposes a holistic, ‘connected-up’ approach composed of two necessarily parallel strands. In the first place, effective, professional full-time therapeutic support on an on-going community basis for those in recovery; and in the second, the move towards a regulatory regime in law, rather than punishment.
“It is important to note, however, what ‘regulation’ means. It is not a free-for-all. It is not allowing traffickers the liberty to openly exploit. In effect, a free-for-all is what we have right now, where substances of many kinds are illicitly available and used. Instead, what we are asking for Government to consider, is a legislative package which will take the supply and use of drugs away from the control of the traffickers and, instead, place them under legal control and in the care and supervision of specialized and trained health care professionals, a regime recommended by UK professional regulation think-tank ‘Transform’, with whom ERG is allied.
“We must avoid the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to regulation, which not only leads to the growth of illegal markets, but also fails to take into account the different effects and consequences of those drugs, in order to appropriately and objectively manage this social issue in our society. This, in effect, is what regulation entails if we really mean to get to grip with the scourge of substance dependency in Gibraltar. We need to break present supply and demand market cycles in favour of health, and in favour of society. Police and other resources are better employed in a more beneficial and effective direction.
“We are under no illusions. To move from the punishing and fining regime of the now failed War on Drugs approach of so many decades to a new but increasingly-tested approach in combating the scourge of addiction, requires intense dedication and hard work to achieve. It also requires introducing positive, supportive and consensual Drug-Free Workplace policies across the board, both in the private and public sectors in order to support recovery and overcome difficulties. A healthy society is in everyone’s interests.
“Stay Clean and ERG are pledging to instigate that hard work, and it is for this reason that we have approached the Government of Gibraltar to request its collaboration via the Chief Minister, the Minister for Health and the Minister for Justice and any other stakeholders similarly committed to seeing progress on these long-standing social questions in Gibraltar.
“Civil Society working, not in isolation but in solidarity with each other, is capable of supporting Government and the community in achieving progress and development for the good of all. And that is the hope and inspiration of both Stay Clean and Equality Rights Group,” the statement ended.
{fcomment}
