Strengthening Cambodia’s Harm Reduction and Mental Health Response
In Cambodia, health experts and community leaders are calling for urgent action; harm reduction is not optional, but essential to the national health response.
With support from Frontline AIDS Rapid Response Funding, the Southeast Asia Harm Reduction Association (AHRA) and KHANA convened a national policy dialogue on 9 October 2025 to strengthen harm reduction and mental health responses for people who use and inject drugs (PWUD/PWID).
The dialogue united government agencies, civil society, and communities to:
• End stigma and discrimination in health services
• Protect the rights and dignity of PWUD/PWID
• Promote policy reforms that decriminalize drug use
• Expand community-led peer support networks
• Strengthen access to healthcare, mental health, and social protection
According to Cambodia’s 2024 IBBS, HIV prevalence among PWUD stands at 5.9% and 10.6% among PWID, underscoring the urgent need for inclusive, rights-based harm reduction and mental health services.
Watch the workshop highlights and read the full Kiripost feature here:
https://kiripost.com/stories/hiv-crisis-deepens-as-cambodia-confronts-106-rate-among-people-who-inject-drugs
Together, we reaffirm our commitment: No one should be left behind in accessing health and dignity.
#HarmReduction #MentalHealth #HIVResponse #HumanRights #CommunityHealth #InclusiveHealthcare #AHRA #KHANA #FrontlineAIDS
