Background
Episodes of violence may occur in harm reduction services. To explore the topic that has been under-documented, we implemented a sociological research project in the French context.
Methodology
We conducted a sociological research between 2024 and 2025 in Paris, based on ethnographic observation sessions in 10 harm reduction facilities and on 50 semi-structured interviews with harm reduction professionals. We used the concept of workplace violence that consider that violence in interpersonal relationships should not be limited to an examination of physical violence but must encompass emotional, psychological, and social suffering.
Results
In their narratives, harm reduction professionals emphasize the violence that is experienced by their clients (people who use drugs) who live in precarious conditions and often suffer from stigmatization in care settings. Harm reduction providers express the emotional distress they receive from listening to these narratives at their workplace. They explain “feeling powerless” to take care of these vulnerabilities in a context where they described helping clients as central to the meaningful dimension of their work. The second important aspect in harm reduction workers’ descriptions of violence lies in their perception of having limited institutional support to their work. They consider that the French drug policy is more focused on criminalization of drugs and repression and too little involved in harm reduction perspective.
Implications
The common narrative about violence linked to drugs is mainly explained by drug-trafficking but our research shows that violence is a more complex phenomenon. Prohibitive regime also creates violence for people who use drugs as well as for professionals.