What is harm reduction
Harm reduction is a humane, bottom-up public health approach to minimise the negative impact of actions that involve risk to self or others. It is grounded in the scientific view that when eliminating harm from such behaviours is not possible, or sometimes not desirable because of the unintended consequences, reducing risk from these activities is a more achievable and pragmatic goal, which also respects individual rights and liberties.
What are some instances
Harm reduction is part of our daily lives—from using seatbelts, helmets and condoms to eating healthier food, we actively seek ways to minimise risk in our personal efforts to improve our conditions. As a public health strategy, harm reduction has helped reduce mortality and morbidity in pandemic response (masks, social distancing etc.), treatment of communicable diseases and addressing the negative outcomes of substance abuse, with illicit drugs harm reduction measures finding acceptance at the United Nations..
Why is it often controversial
Abstinence-only strategies are easier to implement and morally appealing for policymakers, whereas harm reduction is focused on outcomes and accepts continuation of the activity, including dependence, to a degree and defines objectives as reducing adverse consequences. This is harder to design policies for, back with robust research and tougher to appeal to the public conscience, even if it is more rewarding in eventual outcomes.
What does HRPR do
We aim to bring clarity to harm reduction interventions by drafting public health policies, funding research into exploring opportunities and gaps, and creating education and awareness opportunities in this field. HRPR seeks to build resources for policymakers, medical professionals, legal personal and the general public on the merits of harm reduction strategies and provide guidance on their implementation.
