A call on NACADA National Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse in Kenya: Addiction and policies are a feminist issue

Dependence Work in Kenya needs a women-specific approach and respective policies, considering the female aspects of addiction, women psychology, the living circumstances of addicted young women and holistic, inclusive and alternative concepts.

At the Coast of Kenya marginalized, female youth with addiction are facing a variety of barriers to access support, experience massive cultural stigmatization, are ignored in their distress and exposed to severe gender based violence and abuse. They are forced to engage in random and unprotected sex work to earn a living and to sustain their addiction. Most of these young women are single mother, rely on themselves and their children have no protection. Due to their vulnerability, these female youth also become easy victims of radicalism and extremism.

Since 2017 "amescosa-road to recovery" is the first, exclusive women-specific initiative in Kenya - based in Kilifi, North Coast - to give female youth with addiction a voice and holistic support in a safe and conducive space to liberate themselves from gender based discrimination and violence, abuse, trauma and forced sex work to create a healthy, self-responsible and self-determined life with dignity and to become a strong force for change.

We are reaching out to female youth with alcohol and multi-drug addiction in their immediate environment and build a bridge to our outpatient Treatment Centre where we treat, capacity build and empower our clients with a holistic and alternative approach, putting their individual personalities, unique potential, priorities and values in focus.

We are a young and still small initiative, dedicated and determined to break new ground and reach the inclusion of addicted young women and mothers overlooked not only by Dependence Work but also by divers movements for gender equality and against gender based violence.

Addiction for young women and mothers has both individual as well as several common reasons: child abuse, rape, gender based violence, child pregancy, being an orphan, early forced marriage with a much older man, trauma, no access to education, early school drop out, poverty, rigide cultural aspects and neglect.

Support us to call on NACADA National Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse as the national regulatory body to ensure that policies and standards of treatment integrate all women-specific aspects, facilities are accessible, conducive and safe for women - especially for young women -, holistic concepts are applied, evidenced alternative approaches are fully recognized and alcohol addiction is imperative on the agenda.

Evidence-based facts clearly show that the high and still increasing rate of youth affected by alcohol abuse and addiction in Kilifi County and the Coast has created a new and serious hot spot for HIV infection and transmission as well as for other sexual transmitted diseases - at particular risk are female youth.