Harm Reduction and HIV/AIDS (February 2000)
At its February 2000 meeting, the Board of Directors of the Canadian AIDS Society (CAS) acknowledged its support of the following definition and basic principles of harm reduction:
"Harm reduction can be defined as a set of practical strategies with the goal of meeting people 'where they are at' to help them to reduce harm associated with engaging in risk taking behavior" (Harm Reduction Coalition).
Basic Principles of Harm Reduction:
- Harm reduction philosophy considers risk taking behavior as a natural part of our world and suggests that our work should be focused on minimizing the harmful effects of these behaviors rather than focusing on the cessation of the behavior.
- Harm reduction philosophy supports the involvement of individuals in the creation and/or delivery of programs and services that are designed to serve them. These programs and services must be offered in a non-judgmental and non-coercive manner.
- Harm reduction philosophy recognizes the impact of issues such as poverty, classism, racism, homophobia, social isolation, past trauma, and other social inequities on both people's vulnerability to and capacity for effectively dealing with risk taking behavior.
The passing of this definition and basic principles of harm reduction follows previous work by CAS such as Position Statements on "Harm Reduction and Substance Use" and "HIV Testing of Pregnant Women", and the "HIV Transmission Guidelines for Assessing Risk".
Background
The CAS Board of Directors recognizes that in order to effectively and respectfully respond to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, diverse approaches and philosophies must be incorporated into HIV prevention work as well as into work to support persons living with HIV/AIDS. Many of these approaches and philosophies are based on the principles of harm reduction. Since the onset of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, harm reduction principles have been applied to work with a variety of populations with the goal of preventing HIV infection or promoting the health of persons living with HIV/AIDS by reducing the risk associated with particular behaviors. Examples of this application of harm reduction principles can be found in programs and services which have been established to deal with complex issues such as substance use, HIV and pregnancy, and sexual behavior.
Finally, the CAS Board of Directors recognizes that harm reduction principles form the basis of both the promotion of health of persons living with HIV/AIDS and in HIV prevention work.