Kathmandu, March 11:

50 pc of IDUs behind bars share the same needle.

A survey report has found that 38 per cent of the prisoners it had surveyed had access to drugs even behind the bars in different parts of the country.

According to a Knowledge, Attitude and Practice survey (KAP Survey) conducted by Youth Power Nepal on situation of HIV/AIDS, STI and drug abuse among prisoners, 38 per cent of prisoners were regularly using one or the other drug inside the prisons.

The YPN had surveyed prisoners in different jails of the country — including the Central Jail, Bhadra Bandi Griha, Bhadra Mahila Bandi Griha, Dillibazaar Jail, Nakkhu Prison, Biratnagar Prison, Pokhara Prison and Birgunj Prison — in between October 1, 2007 to February 30, 2008.

A total of 351 prisoners living in the eight jails were surveyed and 15 per cent of the respondents were women.

Of the people who use drugs in the jails, 20 per cent said they use marijuana, 20 per cent brown sugar, 10 per cent injections and the rest 50 per cent said they use many kinds of drugs.

The survey stated that 50 per cent of the Injecting Drug Users (IDUs) in the jails share same needle. Half of the IDUs in jails had visited treatment and rehabilitation centres and hospitals at least once while the another half had never gone to either a hospital or any drop-in centre.

As many as 12.5 per cent of IDUs in the jails complained of sexual harassment and 75 per cent complained about the lack of facilities for treatment of drug users and general health problems. The rest complained of multiple problems, including physical and psychological ones.

The survey also revealed that 35 per cent of the respondents had experiences of anal sex and 60 per cent of the drug users wanted to get rid of the drugs. All of the respondents had heard that HIV and AIDS is a sexually-transmitted disease.

The survey report has recommended for awareness programmes against drug use, HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections, alcohol and tobacco use and reproductive health inside the prisons.