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