Counseling most effective in curbing drug abuse: Granat
Counseling most effective in curbing drug abuse: Granat
JAKARTA (JP): Counseling can be the most effective and
inexpensive way of curbing drug abuse in the capital, the
chairman of the Anti Drug National Movement (Granat) said on
Thursday.
Henry Yosodiningrat called for an endless public information
campaign, involving the community, including teachers and
parents, to prevent people from abusing drugs.
"It isn't as complicated as we all think. It is similar to the
Muslims' approach in teaching children that eating pork is
forbidden. If Muslims can do it, why can't we?" Henry, a lawyer
by profession, told The Jakarta Post.
He proposed that teachers and parents take five minutes each
day to warn youths and children of the dangers of drug abuse.
This is a simple and cheaper method which also involves
community participation, he said.
Granat estimates that there are three million drug addicts in
Indonesia.
The money they spend -- assuming that each buys Rp 100,000
worth of drugs a day -- amounts to a staggering Rp 300 billion
($32 million) a day or $US11.5 billion a year.
Three people die of drug abuse each day in Indonesia,
according to the movement.
"This is the tip of the iceberg," Henry said. "The actual
figure is much higher and the number of users is increasing."
Public participation is necessary, he said. "We cannot rely
solely on the police because they have limited personnel."
The campaign against drug abuse in Jakarta will intensify
later this month with the launching of a new pilot project
designed to attack the problem at the community level.
The Consortium for Drug Abuse Prevention and Eradication said
on Wednesday that 15 subdistricts categorized as most prone to
drug abuse have been selected for the project.
The project calls for a greater integration between the
subdistrict office, the police subprecinct and nongovernmental
organizations (NGOs) in approaching the problem of drugs,
consortium chairman Imron Fadil Syam said.
Under the project, the NGOs will be involved in helping to
rehabilitate victims of drugs arrested during police raids.
The consortium was set up in February by 63 NGOs actively
campaigning against drug abuse. It has since established more
than 1,700 posts to assist their campaign at the grassroots
level.
Imron said more than 1,000 of Jakarta's 2,611 neighborhood
units are listed by the consortium as prone to drug trafficking.
A neighborhood which has had at least two drug-related deaths
is regarded as drug prone.
Imron said drug traffickers have widened their networks and
are increasingly targeting children, even penniless street
children.
The consortium's endeavor has found greater support from the
community, he said.
"Many families, whose members are drug victims, are supporting
the consortium in gathering funds or in counseling held at the
consortium's posts throughout the city," he said. (06)