Human rights issues associated with compulsory drug treatments and rehabilitation process in Sri Lanka

Compulsory drug treatment and rehabilitation: Human Rights issues in Sri Lanka

K.A. WARUNI KUMARASINGHA,

Assistant Lecturer,

Department of International Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka

Abstract

Protection of human rights is a universally accepted principal (United Nations, 2021) and it has highlighted the significance of formulation of strong public policies to provide adequate protection for basic rights of humans. Compulsory drug treatments and rehabilitation has remarkably identified as the mechanisms of violation of basic human rights of the victims in Sri Lanka. This study is focused on the central question as “What are the human rights issues of drug addicts in the compulsory drug treatment and rehabilitation process in Sri Lanka? While focusing on identifying the violation of human rights has occurred inside the prisons, during the process of rehabilitation and the psychosocial damages to their families and themselves. The study is based on the secondary data gathered form archival methods, interviews and field visits to the rehabilitation centers. Collected data has been analyzed using the descriptive content analysis. To determine the human security, the essential recommendations and proposals has been provided based on the findings in order to fill the gaps between existing human rights mechanisms and effects of humanitarian law in rehabilitation of drug addicts in Sri Lanka. This study is limited to the human rights of the drug addicts and their families in order to design a national framework for the protection of human rights of those vulnerable group. It has been identified that, human rights of drug addicts are being severely violated by the government sponsored bodies during the rehabilitation process. Therefore, the harm reduction focus responses and community-based drug treatment programs are needed to be funded and monitored by the government with a regulated authority by human right approach. Furthermore, this study has emphasized the importance of establishing a national policy on drug rehabilitation pertaining into the protection of their basic human rights.

Key Words: drug addicts, rehabilitations, drug war, human rights, violation of rights