Before it was ever called harm reduction, Indigenous, Black and other people of color were figuring out the most effective and culturally responsive ways to keep their communities healthy and safe in the face of racism, colonialism, and historical trauma (NHRC, n.d.-a, p. 9).
Indigenous harm reduction is a process of incorporating cultural knowledge and values into the services and strategies of harm reduction (First Nations Health Authority, [FNHA], n.d.). Although approaches to Indigenous harm reduction are varied and diverse, they are grounded within Indigenous worldviews as well as generally centre an understanding of the impacts of colonialism and intergenerational trauma. Indigenous harm reduction can take a decolonizing perspective, focusing not only on individuals but also on the systemic and structural forces that constrain their lives, including colonialism. A decolonial approach to harm reduction attempts to return power and control to people from whom it has been systematically removed, prioritizes community-based and peer-led programs, is trauma-informed, creates culturally safe interventions, and is reflexive. Harm reduction is Indigenized when interventions or programs are culturally grounded, strengths-based, and Indigenous-led (Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network & Interagency Coalition on AIDS and Development [CAAN & ICAD], 2019).
“Indigenizing harm reduction is similar but different from decolonizing harm reduction. Decolonizing policies or programs is an attempt to deconstruct or dismantle existing policies and programs that are rooted in colonial thinking, while Indigenizing policies and programs is about building something new that is grounded in Indigenous ways of knowing” (CAAN & ICAD, 2019, p. 12).
An example of Indigenous harm reduction principles, developed by the First Nations Health Authority, is included below.
Further resources on Indigenous harm reduction can be found here:
Indigenous Centred Approaches to Harm Reduction and Hepatitis C Programs by Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange (CATIE)
Indigenous Harm Reduction by FNHA
