The guide ‘Women and Gender Diversity. Drug Policies from a Community-Based Treatment Perspective’ is the result of a participatory and plural process, developed within the framework of COPOLAD III’s action line focused on addressing the social vulnerabilities linked to drug use. It brings together Uruguay’s experience with the principles of Community-Based Treatment (CBT), integrating a perspective sensitive to gender and diversity specificities, as well as a situated understanding of the dynamics and tensions present in different territories.
This publication embodies one of the core objectives of our programme: to promote the development of context-specific strategies, designed by and for communities, and centred on the individual within their network of relationships. The proposed approach — rooted in the Epistemology of Ethical and Community Complexity (ECO2) — challenges assistentialist models, instead fostering co-management, horizontality, and the transformation of stigmatising social representations.
The design of a dedicated service for women and gender-diverse people who use drugs not only addresses a historic gap in care policies, but also stands as a concrete example of how international cooperation can help scale up innovative experiences. These efforts are aligned with national and regional regulatory frameworks that place equity, inclusion and social justice at the centre.
