We Need to Focus on Violence Against Women Who Use Drugs

In our recent investigation, “Violence Against Women Who Inject Drugs,” published in JAMA Network Open in March, my colleagues and I found that experiencing violence was nearly universal for women who inject drugs in Melbourne, Australia. However, as with many high-income countries, women who use drugs are invisibilized in policies to end violence against women. While much violence is suffered alone and women are often reluctant to access medical care in the aftermath, nearly one in four women who inject drugs, according to our paper, presented to the emergency department due to assault over a 10-year period.