June 25, 2007
Drug Abuse Rising in Campuses
and Call Centres By Sahil
Makkar
New Delhi
Drug abuse is rising in campuses and call centres and a strong
partnership between public and private sectors is required to check
its growing dangers, according to the UN Office for Drugs and Crime
(UNODC).
"In the present scenario, where drug abuse is continuing to
increase, it has become necessary for all sections of society to
come together and prevent this menace," Ashita Mittal, senior
national programme officer with the UNODC, said in an interview on
the eve of the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit
Trafficking.
Through the government of India, the UNODC regional office for South
Asia is partnering with various voluntary groups, schools, colleges
and private companies to spread mass awareness about the dangers of
drug abuse.
"We are working closely with the ministry of social justice and
empowerment, which has set up over 400 de-addiction centres across
the country," Mittal told IANS.
There are eight regional resources centres and a national centre for
drug abuse prevention, with the UNODC playing a supporting role in
all of them. The UN body is also helping in the rehabilitation of
former drug users after the de-addiction process.
"The UNODC has initiated a project in which we have trained 2,000
people to act as counsellors. Each trained person will educate five
others, and the chain will continue."
Laying stress on the importance of going out and finding the drug
users rather than waiting for them to come to de-addictions centres,
Mittal said that there should be more community-centric services.
"We have to be friendly to the drug abuser if we want to wean him
away from drugs. Support groups should be established for this
purpose."
Mittal expressed concern about the rise in drug abuse at colleges
and call centres. "The problem is serious, but it can be controlled
if private organisations take a proactive approach."
The UNODC has partnered with the management at some call centres to
include drug prevention courses in their induction programmes.
"We are conducting lectures and short term sessions in these firms
and believe that other organisations will join these initiative
soon, for the sake of their own employees," she said.
The UNODC has also been distributing posters, handouts, pamphlets
and study material about the dangers of drug abuse in schools and
collages.
In a project called "I decide", the UNODC is spreading the message
that a person is free to choose how to spend his or her life. The
project is being run in schools all over the world.
Mittal said the lessons learnt through this and other projects were
being used in schools around India. "We bring modules of the
programme developed globally. We bring in the expertise and the
information. We see what the global standards are and if they can be
adopted locally."
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