The intake of drugs by school children has increased alarmingly in the capital. To bring the numbers down, Society for Promotion of Youth & Masses (SPYM) has partnered with the Delhi government and started a campaign to support children who are victims of drug abuse. The inaugural session was held at the Rani Chennamma Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya, Jahangirpuri.
The habits that children develop in their teenage years are usually the habits that they carry with them for the rest of their lives. Therefore, it is important to guide them from this age.
The campaign has been launched for government schools only, as of now. SPYM is running this campaign in 100 schools situated in areas which are prone to drug abuse.
“Till this point, we have covered 35 schools in Jahangirpuri, Sultanpuri, Mangolpuri and Adarsh Nagar. We targeted these areas first, as these are the vulnerable areas. We covered both shifts of the schools and we made sure to visit boys’ as well as girls’ schools,” said Shibendu Bhattacharjee, project in-charge, SPYM.
How addiction begins
Children face many upsetting situations at school and at home. But they are generally unable to share their problems with anyone. In these situations, children are introduced to substances, which give them a certain kind of relief. The intake continues when children start believing that drugs are their only salvation, and they end up getting addicted.
“They usually start with sniffing petroleum products. However, if not stopped, the children end up using needles which is very dangerous,” explained Dr Rajesh Kumar, executive director, SPYM.
When children start using these substances, they begin to show certain symptoms: behaving out of character, dropping their social interactions, feeling tired all the time.
Psychological changes are also noticeable. Addicts show a lot of self-guilt even in situations where they might not be at fault. They do not have any control over their emotions due to which they tend to become suicidal. All these conditions cause the children to suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
SPYM’s Role
When experts from SPYM interacted with the children, they were shocked to see that these children were not only openly admitting their usage habits, but also knew the places from where they could buy substances. Given this alarming condition, SPYM has started the campaign with full vigour.
SPYM visits the schools and organises various fun activities for them, such as designing their own posters and slogans against drug abuse. Everybody who participates is awarded a certificate which motivates more children to get involved.
“We tell them to make the posters and slogans at home and then submit them to us. So, when the child draws something, he or she will show it to his or her neighbours and friends who do not go to school. This way, not only will the children be encouraged, but reach of the awareness will also increase,” says Dr Kumar.
“We teach them to say ‘no’ to drugs. We tell them about how they can resist the temptation of drugs and how they can confidently say ‘no’ to the people who provide them these substances,” says Shibendu Bhattacharjee. Teachers are also educated about the symptoms and effects of drugs on children, so that they can identify and help children in need.
“It is good to see that children are responding so well to this campaign. We have an international helpline number and we also provide our personal numbers to these children. They come and talk to us about their problems, and we help them in every possible way,” said Dr Kumar.
Easy to Spot Symptoms
Changes in peer group
Carelessness with grooming (dirty hands/clothes, burns on hands)
Decline in academic performance
Loss of interest in favourite activities
Changes in eating or sleeping habits (weight loss)
Sores on mouth, around nose
Deteriorating relationships with friends and family
What We Can Do
Start early prevention programmes
Train teachers on how to identify a child in distress
Establish treatment facilities for children dependent on drugs
Conduct sensitisation programmes
Involve family
Focus more on demand reduction
Treat co-occurring disorders
