| Title | Factors associated with physical and sexual violence by police among people who inject drugs in Ukraine: implications for retention on opioid agonist therapy. |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2016 |
| Authors | Kutsa, Oksana, Ruthanne Marcus, Martha J. Bojko, Alexei Zelenev, Alyona Mazhnaya, Sergii Dvoriak, Sergii Filippovych, and Frederick L. Altice |
| Journal | Journal of the International AIDS Society |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue | 4 Suppl 3 |
| Pagination | 20897 |
| Date Published | 2016 |
| ISSN | 1758-2652 |
| Abstract | Ukraine's volatile HIV epidemic, one of the largest in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, remains concentrated in people who inject drugs (PWID). HIV prevalence is high (21.3% to 41.8%) among the estimated 310,000 PWID. Opioid agonist therapy (OAT) is the most cost-effective HIV prevention strategy there, yet OAT services are hampered by negative attitudes and frequent harassment of OAT clients and site personnel by law enforcement. This paper examines the various types of police violence that Ukrainian PWID experience and factors associated with the different types of violence, as well as the possible implications of police harassment on OAT retention. |
| DOI | 10.7448/IAS.19.4.20897 |
| Alternate Journal | J Int AIDS Soc |
