Youth resolve to fight the drug menace in their countries

Brunei Darussalam, March 24

Thirty-eight participants from eight Commonwealth member countries, namely, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Maldives Singapore and Sri Lanka took part in the workshop which was organized by the Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP) Asia Centre and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, Brunei Darussalam with support from the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, New Delhi.

The five-day workshop was organized recognizing the need for an integrated approach towards involving young people in finding a solution to the problem drug/substance use. The aim was to enhance the knowledge and skills of the participants to deal with the problem by involving them in interactive lecture sessions, group work, role plays and field visits to widen their perspective and help them develop a viable action plan for drug/substance use prevention, treatment and care.

The idea was also to provide a regional platform to the young participants to enhance their knowledge and understanding by sharing information about best practices. Their capacity to contribute to the creation of opportunities for those affected by drugs/substance use was also enhanced in the process.  

The sessions saw some very interesting topics including Drug Driven HIV: Causes & Concerns, Prevention Strategies, Risk & Vulnerabilities associated with drug use/HIV and developing a drug/HIV prevention programme being discussed. The country presentations provided a platform for the participants to share and discuss the situation in their countries along with the best practices being adopted. They also went for a field visit to the Prison Department and Narcotics Control Bureau along with Drug Rehabilitation Centre and Basmida, an NGO working in the area of Drugs/substance abuse and HIV/AIDS.

The participants concluded that posters, brochures, stickers, websites / youth friendly blogs, banners, TV programmes, concerts, mobile services, cartoons, buses, billboards etc must be extensively used to disseminate the information and vital knowledge as efficiently as possible.

For greater involvement of adolescents, various creative activities were recommended ,namely ,debates, peer education, visual arts, essay writing competitions, youth rallies, charity sale, funfair/carnival, outdoor activities, Flag Day, youth day, field visits, creating T-shirts with slogan, refresher trainings, mentoring  and outreach programs.

It was also concluded that family plays a major role in raising awareness. So, family counseling is a must, especially for drug-affected families. Involvement of the media in raising awareness was also stressed. There must also be a proper networking amongst various forums working on the problem. Also, some youth friendly drug abuse prevention programmes were recommended to be implemented in the countries.

Asitha Wickramarachchi from Sri Lanka said of the workshop, “This workshop is an excellent opportunity for us to explore and share views on preventive drug policies found in various countries as well as discuss issues involved with drug-related situations. I find it very useful. This is my first time participating in this kind of workshop and it has been a very interesting experience."

Fauzia Akram from Pakistan hoped that she would be able to use some of the strategies and policies that have been discussed in the workshop with her ministry to implement a more effective strategy of dealing with the issue of drug abuse in Pakistan. “This workshop is especially beneficial because you get a higher level of understanding of the drug problem particularly affecting the youth, because you get to hear the different situations that are found in various countries."

Dr Suruchi Pant, who is an official from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, believed that the programme had served its purpose and enhanced the knowledge and understanding of the participants about the various dimensions of the problem of drug use. "The participants are very interactive and extremely informed. It's been an educational as well as an entertaining workshop."

The guest of honour, permanent Secretary at the Ministry of culture, Youth and Sports, Data Paduka Awg Hj Jemat Bin Hj Ampal while inaugurating the workshop said, "What makes it so special this year is that the event held in Brunei Darussalam is coinciding with the 60th anniversary of Commonwealth and Silver Jubilee of Brunei Darussalam's National day.” Mr. Raj K. Mishra, Regional Director, CYP Asia Centre delivered the welcome speech on the occasion.