[afro-nets] Journalists form new group on drug abuse and HIV/AIDS

[Media Resource Advocacy Centre <mracnigeria@yahoo.com>]

Journalists form new group on drug abuse and HIV/AIDS
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April 26, 2004 LAGOS, NIGERIA - A new group, Media Network on
Drug Abuse and HIV/AIDS (MeNDAH) addressing links between drugs
and substance abuse and HIV/AIDS has been formed.

The need for the group was arrived at, following a workshop on
Drug Abuse and HIV/AIDS organised by the United Nations Office
on Drugs Control (UNODC), in collaboration with UNAIDS, United
Nations Information Center (UNIC) and Nigeria Drug Law Enforce-
ment Agency (NDLEA) for Media Practitioners and media NGOs.

The group, with membership from all major media organizations in
Nigeria, is being coordinated by three media based organisa-
tions: International Press Centre (IPC), Development Communica-
tions (DEVCOMS) Network, and Media Concern (MEDIACON) for Women
and Children.

The primary focus is to draw attention to the link between drug
abuse and the spread of HIV/AIDS. It is also committed to rais-
ing awareness to the way in which the abuse of substances aid
crime and invariably rise in the level of fresh HIV infections.

The group explaining the link between HIV/AIDS and drug abuse
quoted experts as stating that this occurs in two ways: First
(directly) through Injected drug Use (IDU) and the use of shared
infected needles; and second (indirectly) through the abuse of
drugs, alcohol and other mind-altering substances - reducing in-
hibition and predisposing people to risky sexual behaviour.

MeNDAH as part of its strategy will network with other stake-
holders especially in the area of drug demand reduction and the
control and management of drug use in the country. It will advo-
cate for policies and programmes for the control of drug abuse
as is being done for HIV/AIDS.

MeNDAH will also generate and create programmes of paramount im-
portance for the meaningful success in reporting issues sur-
rounding drug abuse as well as its relation to the spread of
HIV/AIDS.

MEDIA NETWORK ON DRUG ABUSE AND HIV/AIDS (MeNDAH)
Secretariat: Developments Communications Network
26 Adebola Street, off Adeniran Ogunsanya, Surulere
Lagos, Nigeria
mailto:devcoms1@yahoo.com