Drug abuse starts from the home: Experts
Drug abuse starts from the home: Experts
Social problems often reflect the sanity of a society, says
humanistic philosopher and psychologist Erich Fromm.
The more acute the social problems, the more the whole society
is in dire need of cures.
Psycho-social expert at the University of Indonesia (UI) Ratna
Juwita attributes widespread drug abuse and drug trafficking to
social failures.
"We are witnessing a serious crisis in our community. The
rampant drug abuse here is only one of many facets of the
crisis," she told The Jakarta Post.
She said a community that was not peaceful was like a hotbed
for drug abuse.
The prolonged economic crisis in the country, she said, was a
good example of a situation that forced people to work hard at
all costs.
"We already know that most parents spend most of their time
and energy in the workplace, leaving their children without
parental guidance,
"They (the young people) witness government figures, for
instance, using their power to suffocate the weak. Such a
situation undermines the entire education system,
"In most cases, their feelings of frustration are not voiced.
They go to school and study without clearly knowing what for.
"It is no surprise, then, that they resort to drugs to escape
the pain of frustration," Ratna said.
Maria, a research manager with the Yayasan Cinta Anak Bangsa
(Love the Nation's Children Foundation, YCAB), said a survey
conducted in 2005 by the foundation showed that the values and
attitudes of young people were rapidly changing.
"In addition to their lax attitude toward drug abuse, they are
more accepting of pornography, homosexuality and violence," she
said.
The survey shows one in two teenagers thinks that pornography
is acceptable; one in three has "no problem" with homosexuality
and one in five finds drug abuse and violence "tolerable".
Another survey conducted by UI and YCAB sought answers as to
why young people were trying drugs in the first place. Of at
least 418 drug addicts being treated at 13 rehabilitation centers
in Greater Jakarta, 70 percent said they had taken drugs for the
first time "out of curiosity".
Meanwhile, Dede Shinta Sudono, a national program officer with
the International Labor Organization (ILO) underlined the fate of
street children who were drug addicts.
Citing a survey conducted by ILO in three municipalities in
the capital in 2003, she said that 90 of 92 street children
addicted to drugs had become drug dealers, some as young as the
age of 13.
"As they have no chance to study in school, they end up on the
streets, spending much of their time with older people, which
exposes them to illegal activities, including drug abuse and drug
dealing," she said. --JP