In lead up to this year's
World Health Day (7th April), a coalition of health and human rights groups launched a
campaign to stop torture in healthcare. This global effort builds on the recent groundswell of civil society activity to protect and advance human rights in health settings.
The Campaign seeks to hold governments accountable for the most egregious abuses perpetrated against citizens in the name of health care. Of particular focus for the Campaign are the egregious abuses committed across south-east Asia in compulsory detention centers for people who use drugs.
In a growing number of countries, these so-called 'rehabilitation facilities' rely on physical abuse, locked wards, forced labor, and other indignities to "treat" drug addiction. Not surprisingly, the vast majority of detainees quickly return to drug use once they are released from these centers. From Cambodia, "Venta" shares his experience of drug detention. See his story
here
