13.1% Of Drug Abuse Victims In India Below 20 Years, UN Recommends Improving Community Intervention

Around 13.1 per cent of the people involved in drug and substance abuse in India are below the age of 20, said Billy Batware, Programme Officer of the United Nations on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC). He added that the concerning numbers call for targeting adolescents by focusing on improving community intervention and preventive mechanisms.

Batware was speaking during the 'Children Matter-Right to a Drug-Free Childhood' session held by the International Forum on Thursday.

Diving Into The Reasons

In his speech, Batware pointed out that the most common causes of children falling into the trap of substance abuse are poor mental and physical health, often resulting from violence, exploitation, sexual abuse, and lack of a healthy support system. He added that child trafficking and child labour by criminals lead to poor mental and physical health of these children, putting them at risk of drug and alcohol abuse.

Acknowledging the economic milieu across the world, Programme Officer said that most children are involved in drug abuse as they have witnessed socio-economic hardships and the consequent lack of opportunities, the Business Standard reported.

Prevention Through Community Action

Globally, 90 per cent of people with drug addiction began using substances before they turned 18, and most of them have been involved in criminal activities. One of the most effective ways to stop the rise in such concerning numbers, especially among the youth, is prevention.

In Asia, especially in India, community action coupled with social change is bound to make a significant impact in bringing these numbers down. CC Joseph, Director of the Fourth Wave Foundation (FWF) India, pointed out the lack of trained professionals in the public healthcare sector. He said that professionals not being efficient enough to work with children, child treatment and child care protocols is a grave issue.

Under its project titled 'VENDA', the FWF foundation follows a multi-prolonged approach of "prevention treatment, recovery and drug demand reduction, besides health education at an early age through school-centric interventions. The programme is designed and executed with full community participation", the report said.

Arun Kandaswamy, Professor of Psychiatry at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), states that adolescents who have a family history of addiction or are exposed to conditions where adults around them are a victim of substance abuse, then such adolescents need to be identified at an early stage to help them with any necessary counselling and treatment.

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