According to a report published by Christian Aid, ill-conceived law enforcement practices and the criminalisation of illegal businesses are destroying livelihoods and negatively impacting the lives of the world’s poorest people.
Karol Balfe, who leads Christian Aid’s peace-building work, told Premier the current methods to prevent the production and distribution of narcotics are simply not working and “the cure has been worse than the disease.”
She added: “We see crop eradication, which has caused displacement and deforestation for people from where they work and live, and actually does little to reduce the cultivation of coca or opium.
“Aerial fumigation – the spreading of carcinogenic chemicals on illicit crops, damages people’s health and their environment. And the use of military and law enforcement operations has led to egregious human rights violations. The most extreme of those in countries like Philippines where we’ve seen 27,000 people extra judicially killed since the state launched its war on drugs.”
Christian Aid argues that for some marginalised groups in countries like Afghanistan, Colombia, and Myanmar, illegal drug trades are a means of survival and although criminalised industries expose poor communities to violence and exploitation, they also provide income, employment, and protection.
The report, developed as part of a Global Challenges Research…
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