ABM focuses on youth drug addiction
THE South Durban Basin (SDB) Area Based Management (ABM) team has pledged to work with the community and government structures to formulate programmes to alleviate drug addiction problems among the youth in the community.
The SDB ABM hosted community stakeholders and the departments of Social Development, Health, and Government Communications at a recent meeting to discuss drug abuse and its causal factors, with the purpose of formulating a programme to deal with the problems. “According to the South African Depression and Anxiety Group, illegal drug consumption in South Africa is double the world norm. One in two school children have already experimented with drugs and in most cases, they start dabbling by the age of twelve. Our local area has not been spared from the scourge that appears to be taking over our communities and the lives of our young people,” said SDB AMB manager, Eurakha Singh.
According to Dr Lochan Naidoo, who spoke at the meeting, one of the main causes of addiction is the break-up of the family unit, as well as the increasing problem with absentee fathers. “The lack of security, comfort and male role models required for young boys in particular, is definitely a large contributor to addiction,” said Naidoo.
Director of South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (Sanca) Durban, Walter Petersen, added: “It is very important that stakeholders come together to deal with this issue in a co-ordinated way. The problem is too large and complex for one NGO or government department to deal with on its own. We are therefore very grateful to the SDB ABM for seeing a problem and taking action to deal with it.”
Members from the departments present pledged their support to the programme. “It is important that we work within the mechanisms and best practises that other departments have in place. Our ultimate aim is save children’s’ lives and to help them grow into healthy productive members of society,” said Singh.
