The
Human Rights Watch’s recent report on forced labour and abuses in drug
detention centres in Vietnam is groundless and distorts the reality in Vietnam
with bad intention, the Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nguyen Phuong Nga said in
Hanoi on Sept. 9.
In response to reporters’ query about
Vietnam’s reaction to the report “The Rehab Archipelago: Forced Labour and
Other Abuses in Vietnam Drug Detention Centres in Southern Vietnam” released by
the Human Rights Watch on Sept. 7, Nga stressed that drug addiction causes
multi-faceted consequences to the community, society and especially the
mentality, health, behaviours and personality of the addicts themselves.
“Therefore, compulsory rehabilitation is a
humane measure to support and help addicts who cannot pursue detoxification by
themselves, which requires them to be isolated from the community in a period
in order to stay away from, learn to understand the negative impacts of
depending on drug, recover their health and working ability, thus being able to
reintegrate into the community, find jobs and stabilise their lives,” she said.
Nga noted that the Vietnamese State’s
viewpoint also suits the principle of effective treatment of drug addiction of
the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) under the US Department of Health
and Human Services (USDHHS), the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the
World Health Organisation.
The spokesperson further said that treatment
for addicts in Vietnam is conducted in line with regulations of the law.
“According to Vietnamese laws, the illegal use
of drug is not a crime, but a violation of administration regulations and thus
is treated in accordance with the administration law.
“The issuance and implementation of decisions
to send addicts to detoxification centres have to be conducted under a strict,
objective process of administrative procedures and are close monitored by a
mechanism of examination.
“In detoxification centres, all acts violating
the health, human dignity of those who are under drug detoxification are
prohibited by the law.
During the period of compulsory detoxification
at rehab centres, people undergoing detox treatment have their interests and
rights ensured in line with the law such as accommodation suitable to age and
gender, health services, assistance on detoxification costs, general education
and vocational training, pay for their work at the centres, rights to welcome
their relatives, and rights of denunciation and claims.
“Adolescent drug users also enjoy other
support policies on health, education, vocational training and cost for
detoxification.
“Therapeutic labour is part of the
rehabilitation process to help those undergoing detox treatment improve their
health, life and occupational skills and become aware of the value of labour as
well as their responsibility to their families and the society.
“Reality over the past years proved that
compulsory detoxification is a humane, efficient measure that benefits the
addicts themselves as well as the community and society,” Nga emphasised.
Through medical, psychological, educational
and labour therapies, detox centres have provided treatment for tens of
thousands of drug addicts each year, helping them drop the habit, recover their
health, personality to reintegrate into normal life,” she said, adding that the
rate of repeated addiction in Vietnam shows a decreasing trend.
Regarding the UN Office in Vietnam’s request
that Vietnam reconsider the administrative surveillance measure towards drug
addicts and prostitutes, the spokesperson said Vietnam and the UN have actively
coordinated in fighting drug and prostitution, in conformity with specific
requirements and situation in Vietnam.
“Sending prostitutes and drug addicts to
education and detoxification centres is a humane measure which is implemented
in line with regulations of the law,” she said.
Nga reiterated that at the centres, the law
prohibits all acts violating the health and dignity of those people. Reality
shows that this is an effective measure, helping them reform themselves and
reintegrate into the community.
Source: VNA
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