UNAIDS World AIDS Day 2023

Meet

Valentina mankiyeva

Who knows how to help women who use drugs? Women who use drugs do

valentina mankiyeva

Secretary, The Kazakhstan Forum of People Who Use Drugs

Kazakhstan

Women who use drugs are one of society’s most stigmatized groups, burdened with multiple vulnerabilities. I know. I am one of them. I have been living with HIV for 26 years. For nine of those years, I kept my diagnosis hidden, did not seek help, and battled a paralysing fear of death. I lost loved ones and endured perpetual shame and despair.

Women have shared with me their stories of being demonized and disregarded, deemed unworthy of attention and support, of being forced into sex to pay for drugs, or experiencing abuse from partners. Many feel defenceless against police brutality. They endure a loss of human dignity and face bullying in families, society and medical facilities. For women who use drugs living with HIV, that adds an extra layer of stigma. Too many of us face loathing and self-loathing.

“Women who use drugs face even harsher judgement than men who use drugs.”

“People who use drugs are often scared to access HIV prevention, testing and treatment services because of the criminalization and discrimination they face.”

-Valentina

And yet, there is one approach that keeps being shown to work in enabling people who use drugs to access essential services—when people like us lead, design and oversee those services. My life was transformed a few years ago when I encountered a community of people coming together to help each other. Groups including the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association, the Eurasian Network of People Who Use Drugs, the Eurasian Women’s Network on AIDS, and the Kazakhstan Union of People Living with HIV helped me see myself as a worthy individual deserving respect and a decent life. Now, as part of the movement, I hear daily from peer clients who share why this approach matters.

Even when you think you are unworthy and undeserving of a better life, you meet people who say, “No, you are accepted. Let us move forward together.”

Collective leadership by the community I am from is what has empowered me and my peers to develop services that enable us to protect our health. Together, we're much stronger.

As part of the Eurasian Network of People Who Use Drugs, we established the Expert Feminist Council, uniting women activists from five countries in eastern Europe and central Asia. The goal of the Council is to shape drug policies that uphold human rights, are grounded in scientific evidence, and consider the well-being of every woman.

We have helped shine a light on the harm caused by repressive drug policies and how decriminalization saves lives. Collective leadership by my community has empowered me and my peers to develop services that enable us to protect our health. Together, we are much stronger.

Yet, major challenges remain. Although HIV prevention, testing and treatment services are available in Kazakhstan and other countries, stigma, discrimination and criminalization continue to prevent people from key groups from accessing vital services. For example, in our country, women who use drugs and are living with HIV often cannot use shelters or crisis centres—but these are people who truly need a safe space, a place to find refuge, assistance and HIV services.

We take pride in our resilience. But we need authorities to back us.

Women who use drugs have established peer organizations that have succeeded in reaching people who had not been reached, have innovated services to strengthen their impact, and have set out how policy changes can help protect our health. But we are still regarded by many in authority across the world as problems to be fixed instead of problem-solvers to be supported.

We know what needs to be done and how to do it. Who, if not us? HIV and drug use do not define our worth as people and should not overshadow our abilities. We deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. We deserve equal access to health care, social security and economic development. And we deserve to be at the decision-making table, shaping approaches that will work to protect our health.

“If you care for us, do not decide for us. Let us lead.”

next leader

Harry Prabowo

Program Manager, Asia Pacific Network of People Living with HIV (APN +)