Between December 2nd and 4th, the World Federation of Therapeutic Communities organised its 28th World Conference in New Delhi, India.

The WFTC World Conference is an international conference held once every two years with the intention of bringing together practitioners and beneficiaries of Therapeutic Communities from around the world. Since the first conference in 1976, which took place in Sweden, the event has been held in Canada, Italy, Netherlands, Philippines, Thailand, Greece, Malaysia, Brazil, Russia, Colombia, Australia, Spain, the United States of America, Peru, Indonesia and Mexico.

WFAD participated in the Conference, which included a comprehensive agenda on global perspectives in addiction treatment, ethical issues and considerations, best practices, gender-sensitive treatment, etc. International and National participants attended the plenary and the workshops.

On the first day, the main organisers of the conference, SPYM, hosted a field visit to a children’s dedication centre. The centre takes in children who have been in contact with the juridical system. When they have committed certain crimes, they can be sent to the centre as an alternative to incarceration. At the centre, they include a holistic treatment and rehabilitation approach. The children are not only provided with addiction counselling but they are also given structure by various classes, such as art, dance, reading, etc. Life lessons/questions are being discussed through games. Even though some children might be illiterate, the focus of the treatment is to ensure that the child learns the skills it considers needed when leaving the centre again. They stay in the centre for 6 months and can be extended if the child wishes so.