Women and Addiction

Project DAWN: Drugs, Alcohol and Women Network

Introduction to the DAD.NET. Project

In 2010, UNICRI responded to the request of the Italian Department on Antidrug Policy of the Presidency of the Council of the Ministers to assist in the implementation of a project for the creation of a network of professionals trained to promote and diffuse the adoption of the best practices on gender differences in drug addiction.

The Drugs and Alcohol Women Network - DAWN, in Italian "DAD.NET project" is a very ambitious project, enshrined within the values and the aims of the United Nations, as expressed in the Political Declaration and Plan of Action on International Cooperation towards an Integrated and Balanced Strategy to Counter the World Drug Problem, adopted by the Commission on Narcotic Drugs on March 2009, in which Member States have committed themselves to face the world drug problem, in order to ensure that "all people can live in health, dignity and peace, with security and prosperity".

This project also aims to give a concrete contribution to the accomplishments of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, in particular the third, fourth and fifth Goals, related to gender equality, child and maternal health.

Thanks to Italy's commitment to this project, through the Department for Anti-Drug Policies, the United Nations and UNICRI action is further sustained in promoting the human rights and well being of vulnerable subjects, as in this case, drug addicted women. This project also includes the adoption of gender-oriented instruments and strategies for the prevention of the use of drugs among young girls as well as the support to drug addicted mothers and their children. Actions to reduce stigmatization of drug addicted women and related violence as well as interventions to reduce transmission of STDs and prevention of unwanted pregnancies are included in the project's activities.

The ultimate goal of the project is to promote the adoption of the best practices among drug addiction clinicians and professionals and within rehabilitation services, in order to increase their awareness on gender differences and adjust their offer to the specific needs of drug-addicted women.

DAD.NET. project's targets are subdivided into primary target and secondary target.

The primary target category includes:

1. girls and women who do not use drugs but who are considered at risk (preventive intervention);
2. girls and women who occasionally use drugs (preventive intervention);
3. girls and women who have already developed a substance dependence problem and/or are affected by substance related diseases, and who need assistance respectful of their gender differences (treatment and rehabilitation intervention).

The secondary target category involves private and public health professionals who need to receive specific training in gender issues.

Within this target a series of sub-categories have been identified: ASL (Public Health Services), local administrations and their departments, other bodies and agencies (school offices, sport federations, self help groups, antiviolence centres for women, female managers associations).

Guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) will be drafted in collaboration with local partner organizations and diffused at the national level.

The project will make use of a national network composed by public and private health services dealing with drug dependence, which will work together in order to draft the guidelines and to carry out all the activities.

The project will use the network that will be based on a synergic coordination with all relevant services (public and private health services dealing with drug dependence), with the relevant local institutions (Municipality, Provinces and Regions), national governmental institutions and ministries (Ministries of Health, Equal Opportunities and Instruction) and with the relevant agencies and programmes of the United Nations.

DAD.NET. project will be supported also by different working groups, composed by national and international experts working in the field, who will be involved in the preparation of the guidelines as advisors.

The guidelines will constitute the basis for the training interventions to be implemented according to the target group.

The interventions will be evidence-based, with particular attention to gender differences and to factors related to risk-behaviours and motivational issues, which determine the failure or the success of treatments specifically oriented to women and girls.

For further information please contact dad.netunicri.it