Families from across the world tell their stories about what it’s like to live on the front line of the global drug war.

Anyone’s Child is at the UN to tell our stories, because people are needlessly dying as a result of our failed drug laws and it’s time for change.

 

We are co-hosting a side event with the Czech Government at the upcoming Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in Vienna in a panel entitled ‘Saving lives by Ending the Drug War.

Conference Room M6 on Monday 12th March, 2.20-3.10pm in the Vienna International Centre, Vienna.

Panelists will include Peter from Belgium, a high-ranking police officer  who lost his brother to a heroin overdose. The loss of his brother coupled with his experience of policing led him to question current drug laws and join our campaign.

 

Maricela from Mexico will talk about her two sons who were both murdered in drug war-related violence. Watch the Idoc here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Former police officer, Suzanne from the UK, will tell her story of battling addiction and how current drug laws made her situation worse.

Cathy, a human rights lawyer will then speak out for the victims from the Philippines where over 12,000 have been massacred in the past year as part of a brutal crackdown by the authorities.

They will be joined on the panel by the Czech drug tsar Jindrich Voboril, Brun Gonzalez from the International Network of People Who Use Drugs, and Ann Fordham of the International Drug Policy Consortium.

 

Remembering policy impacts real people

We are headed to the UN’s Commission on Narcotic Drugs to tell these very raw and emotional stories to cut through the bureaucracy and status-quo. We refuse to stay quiet as people are needlessly dying because of failed drug laws.

As the Czech drug tsar said whilst attending a previous Anyone’s Child event

“ I think this is so very important to hear the real stories. The environment of the negotiations such as UNGASS is so sterile and the people negotiating the major UN decisions which influence directly tens of millions of people across the globe have never seen or even think of the realities like what was said in this meeting. I wish there would be a hearing of your people on much higher governmental and diplomatic levels because otherwise it is all so technocratic ”

Inevitably governments will take to the stage, as they do each year , proclaiming how their drug policies are working – celebrating record seizures and arrests. Yet these drug stats really ignore the true picture and the enormous damage that prohibition is causing – the devastating impact that the drug war is having on families across the globe.

 

Real stories can change policy

There is overwhelming evidence to support the families’ claims and many experts will also be at the CND to present the stats and figures. However we want to strike a different tone. Recognising the enormous stigma surrounding the issue and that evidence hasn’t seem to have shifted attitudes fast enough, our goal is to change both hearts and minds.

We know that family stories can be very persuasive even amongst policy makers working at the highest levels . This was a quote from Jane Philpott, the Canadian health minister at the United Nations General Special Session in 2016 as she announced Canadian’s progressive move to reform Canadian drug laws. She’s talking about one of our mums, Donna May!

“In preparation for this event, I met with a group of NGOs… But the most powerful voice of all belonged to a mother.  She was there to tell the story of her young daughter, who lost her life due to complications of substance use. She described watching her daughter slip away, as she struggled to access the treatment and services that may have saved a beautiful, fragile life.  Stories like this are far too commonplace. Today, I stand before you as Canada’s Minister of Health, to acknowledge that we must do better for our citizens.”

Jane Philpott, Former Canadian Minister of Health, Speaking at the UNGASS 2016

 

I hope that as many delegations as possible will come along to our session and hear these stories.

 

If you know someone attending, please tell them to join us in Conference Room M6 on Monday 12th March, 2.20-3.10pm in the Vienna International Centre, Vienna.