June 26 has special significance on dual counts globally. The day is observed as the United Nations International Day against drug abuse and illegal drug trade as well as the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. Both observances have significance historically and with context to contemporary issues. On one hand, drug trafficking has wreaked havoc the world over by fuelling drug abuse and instituting layers of corrupt practices while torture is used by both state and non state security forces as a means to demean captives and prisoners and as a ‘valid’ means of ‘getting out the truth’. The day against drug trafficking has been observed since 1988 to commemorate the dismantling of the opium trade in Humen in Guangdong, just before the First Opium War in China. The observance was instituted by the UN General Assembly affirming that global attention and efforts need to be taken up to ensure that drug trafficking and its illegal trade is mitigated. The rationale for this move was based on the fact that illicit drugs cause immense harm to society, the public health of people the world over and compromises issues of security given the angle and close link of illicit drug trafficking to financing conflicts of various kinds. The other side of the drug trafficking story of course is that it reaches into the territory of crimes in the society. Ensuring the prevention of drug trafficking takes a strong political will and a transparent policing system that keeps a tight watch and follow it with stringent action against those who indulge in the illicit trade. This is both the easy way and the complex way: easy, because taking steps to ensure the supply reduction of illicit drugs would mean spending less on the after effects of widespread drug abuse in the society. Also, steps for facilitating an environment where there is a demand reduction for drugs would take more time and process as it would involve intervention and treatment programs and factoring in support systems for those caught in the drug abuse cycle.
But supply reduction of illicit drugs is difficult and complex too, because of the huge financial gains involved and the protection of the trace by vested interests. In fact, it is held in many circles of political discourse that the price of illicit drugs keep on increasing in proportion to the number of borders and boundaries crossed since the movement of drugs inclusive of free passage would entail huge payoffs at every check post. Documentation of the fights against illicit drug trade in various parts of the world in the form of written journals, journalistic works and films gives ample proof that supply reduction is an ongoing process. Drug cartels and drug lords have been arrested, convicted, sentenced but even as this happens, news players emerge and build up new markets. That the war to be fought by Governments and law enforcing agencies is an ever-changing dynamics involving tough actions on the ground is best evident in the Mexican military’s Museum of Drugs in Mexico City which is open only to government officials, diplomats, members of the army and sometimes to journalists. The private museum, with an array of seized merchandize displays real exhibits that are used to train soldiers involved in the fight against illicit drug trade by making them aware of different types of drugs, the ways that they are transported and moved from once place to another etc.
The second UN observation of June 26 is meanwhile, a grim reminder that torture is still a reality and has not been consigned to the dark ages and medieval times. The emergence of repressive Governments and the growth of police states in societies across the globe means that torture is still a reality that is yet to be addressed. The theme for the observation this year, ‘right to rehabilitation’ is a poignant call given that there are often no services or support systems for people who undergo torture while in confinement. Also, while the aspect of physical torture may still be seen with the eyes, mental and emotional torture can be crippling and is an area which is yet to any developments in terms of talking about it, much less address the issue. The challenge of course lies in the manner in which torture is carried out in the realms beyond public disclosure and their knowledge. Much remains to be done on the ground beyond the mere observations for the day to have any significance for the world today.