Leaders across the globe–from Nixon in 1971 to Duterte in 2016–have declared war on drugs.
Consequently, national and international drug control efforts have prioritized eradication of
production, criminalization of consumption, and militarized interventions to impede distribution.
Under this international policy regime, drug trafficking has become a primary revenue source for
organized crime across the world, accompanied by black market incentives to use violence as a
means of controlling territory and trade. The involvement of both organized crime and militarized
state responses have provoked devastating violence, gross human rights violations, and
corruption. This has weakened state institutions and the rule of law, and carried heavy human
costs. This transnational war transcends borders, constantly shifts form, and seems to be
largely resilient to efforts to reduce harm, despite the growth of a movement to transform drug
policies in recent years. This situation has diverse and far-reaching effects for education.
Children and youth from marginalized class and racial backgrounds are especially vulnerable to
its impacts.

While the field of education in emergencies has engaged aspects of this transnational war by
examining attacks on education, urban violence and armed conflict in settings affected by the
illicit drug trade (Carapic, Phebo & dos Ramos, 2014; Novelli, 2015; O´Malley, 2010), attention
to the complex interplay between the war on drugs and education remains disperse and limited
in scope. The aim of this special issue is to highlight the relevance of the war on drugs to the
field of Education and Emergencies. We seek articles that shed light on the multiple crises
generated by this phenomenon and broaden the scope of analysis with critical reflections on
cross-cutting issues related to geography, political economy, militarization, and development.
This issue aims to position the war on drugs as a key area of research and practice within the
field of Education and Emergencies.

Possible themes for papers include, but are not limited to:
● Impacts of drugs and drug policy on education systems and educational actors, such as
students, principals, teachers, and caregivers (including effects of political and structural
violence related to the production, commercialization and consumption of illicit drugs)
● Processes of recruitment, criminalization and educational exclusion of children and
youth involved in the drug economy
● Education policy and programming in response to drugs and drug policy.
Recognizing the global scope of these issues, we welcome submissions from all regions of
the world.

Deadline for submitting manuscripts is May 1, 2018. Inquiries regarding topic or scope for the
special issue can be sent to María José Bermeo mj.bermeo@uniandes.edu.co; Diana
Rodríguez Gómez dm.rodriguez@uniandes.edu.co or journal@ineesite.org For further
information regarding submission process please refer to:
http://www.ineesite.org/en/journal/manuscript-submission-instructions

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