Metzineres (in full "Metzineres - Environments of shelter for womxn who take drugs surviving violences") is a nonprofit cooperative based in Barcelona, Spain, providing shelter for vulnerable and marginalized women and non-binary people who use drugs, including homeless people.[1][2] The project was launched in 2017[3] and registered as a non-profit cooperative in October 2020.[4]
Beyond essential health and harm reduction services, Metzineres includes services of cover basic needs such as shower, access to internet, hot meals, spaces for peer-support,[5] modalities to engage with neighborhood communities,[6] help to entrepreneurship, art[7] and cultural activities,[8] webradio,[9] as well as a needle and syringe programme and a supervised injection site.[10] Metzineres also engage in advocacy such as demands for heroin-assisted treatment.[11]
Because of barriers to access to healthcare and institutional gaps, marginalized women and non-binary persons who use illicit drugs may not access the health or social services to which they are entitled. For this reason, some believe that "the Metzineres initiative [...] represents a promising model for how harm-reduction programs can provide essential services and support to women and gender non-conforming drug users who have survived situations of violence."[12]
During the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain, Metzineres was recognized as an essential health service by health authorities,[13] and integrated as a special intervention service in the healthcare plan of the Catalan government.[14]
Metzineres also participates in harm reduction conferences,[3][15] international fora such as the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs[16] and High-level meeting on HIV/AIDS,[17] and activist groups such as the International Network of People who Use Drugs[18]orInternational Drug Policy Consortium.
The word "metzinera" (plural: "metzineres") is an ancient catalan term, historically used to denigrate women accused of witchcraft, in particular for their use of herbal remedies.[2] According to FilterMag, "the 'x' in the word womxn intentionally signifies a commitment to engage cis, trans and non-binary community members."[19]
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