WHO Report - Assessment of compulsory treatment of people who use drugs in Cambodia, China, Malaysia and Viet Nam: An application of selected human rights principles

This report has been prepared by the Western Pacific Regional Office of the WHO to describe the “compulsory treatment centres” in Cambodia, China, Malaysia and Viet Nam, and assess the treatment they provide. The main objective of this report is to use some key human rights principles as a lens through which to assess and document the situation in the compulsory drug treatment centres in a constructive way, as a basis for engaging in dialogue with policy-makers in these countries.

The assessment suggests that these centres lack effective drug treatment services. There is also a lack of prevention or care services for HIV in closed settings, where the spread of the disease is much faster than in the community. People who use drugs in the region are at risk in these settings because they do not receive drug treatment and HIV prevention services.