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Kathmandu Friday November 02, 2001 Kartik 17, 2058.
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Proper guidance vital to keep children off
drugs
By Ayushma Pandey
KATHMANDU, Nov 1- It is absolutely disconcerting to see how
the trends of modernisation are fast making an impact in our society .In the attempt
either to keep up with this trend or because of the compulsion to follow it, even children
are now fast turning into substance abusers. Although this kind of trend is not something
new since youths and adults are found to consume drugs and narcotics, it is alarming to
see many minors turning to drug abuse for various reasons.
"Children as young as eight years old or even less are
found to be addicted to drugs and narcotics. Mainly street children are found to be
addicted to drugs", says Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) of Narcotic Drugs
Control Law Enforcement Unit (NDCLEU).He says the recent trends of substance abuse among
such children are found to be the abuse of organic solvents like paints ,gas, adhesives ;
medical drugs like nitrazepam tablets which are also termed as ‘emotion-arousing
drugs’. The abuse of hard drugs like marijuana, hashish (hash), heroin can hardly be
seen among children, which is more common in youths and adults.
The Narcotic Drugs Control Law Enforcement Unit (NDCLEU)
works to control the production of drugs and narcotics and also to control the supply of
such products in the public. Since 1998 till 2001 NDCLEU has arrested 2,226 persons on the
charge of trafficking in drugs like cannabis, hashish, heroin and opium among others.
One can find numerous places in the Capital, which serve as
popular hangouts for minors and other persons who abuse drugs and alcohol. A small alley
by the side of Bir Hospital is one of such places where teenagers and street children
spend their time injecting and inhaling drugs. Bikram,a 14-year-old boy who was found
taking a puff from his cigarette in the alley says, "My tension is released and I
feel as if I were in heaven."
So what is inducing children to get indulged into this
harmful habit?
The manager of Freedom Center , a treatment and
rehabilitation center for substance abusers founded by late Father Thomas Gafney in 1976 ,
Rajendra Shrestha says , "There are several factors that lead these children to
indulge in dreadful habits. Children who have not received proper parental guidance and
those who are ignored by their parents resort to drug abuse."
Ignorance and lack of proper guidance are just two of several
other reasons. There are reasons like family discord or dysfunction, financial problems,
ego, clash or behaviour disorders that may push them to drugs. Likewise, there could also
be a cause of frustration, Shrestha says.
Shrestha asserts that tangible services like therapeutic
treatment is not the only solution to the problem but there should also be proper
counselling to address their psychological needs. In this regard, the society also has a
responsibility to remove the stigma attached to these people and see them first as human
beings and thus treat them likewise.
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