KOHIMA, JUNE 22 (DIPR): Consultation on Reducing Drug Demand for HIV prevention was held today the June 22 at the Conference Hall, Hotel Japfu, Kohima.
Commissioner & Secretary, Social Security & Welfare, D K Bhalla, who could not attend the meeting due to other official engagements in a written message stated that statistics are useful but they do not even present to the people a glimpse of the misery drug abuse is causing to the world society at large.
Macroeconomic Global Environment which has facilitated the growth and development of global legitimate business, has also provided opportunity to illegal drug producers and traffickers to organise themselves on a global scale . Due to this the problem of drug-trafficking has assumed monstrous proportions, he said.
Stating that there is more awareness today on the problems of illicit drugs and trafficking, he said that translation of awareness programmes into constructive action is the need of the hour.
IG Intelligence, M V Chakhesang who was also present, while sharing his views said that the family is the foundation of the society and stressed on the need for good parental guidance/skills.
Stating that instilling awareness to children by parents in food habits is very important, Chakhesang pointed out that parents should be cautious in their food habits like drinking etc, in order to lead a disciplined life.
Project Director, NSACS, Dr. Kumuni also addressed the participants and called for a more accelerated response to the epidemic, reminding that India has overtaken South Africa as far as HIV/AIDS is concerned. She said that issues that needs to be addressed includes young children getting initiated into drugs, teenage pregnancy, high incidence of multiple-sexual partners etc. She also said that the main target groups are mostly school drop-outs and un-employed which she said should be an area of concern. Stating that behavioural changes cannot be a one time event, Dr. Kumuni added that the message has to be consistent.
Emphasising on development of sustainable capacities she asserted that social issues which leads to HIV/AIDS should be discussed continuously in various forms. “When there is continuity, the people will own the problem and there will be action towards the response”, she maintained.
Calling upon churches, schools and parents to play a key role in protecting the youngsters, Dr. Kumuni reminded that Nagaland is in a position to bring a change since it gets the support from different quarters – Government, NGOs etc.
Editor, North East Herald, Seaton Ruddock who dwelt on the topic “Media Response”, commented that media should not always be considered to be a mouth piece to comment in press releases but should be given the opportunity to generate ideas. ‘Use us not as mouthpiece but use us as partners”, he said.
Expressing concern on the issue of drug menace being faced by the Naga society, Ruddock said, “If something has to be done, it has to be done now and media is the cheapest partner to reach the masses”.
He called upon everyone to take it as a challenge to play a role in eradicating the menace.
Project Director, Project Orchid, North East, Dr. Langkham opined that Government, NGOs, the police and media should work together as a team without any barriers amongst themselves.
Abou from RTC, while sharing experiences also said that society needs to understand the term addiction, in order to tackle the problem and to understand the addicts. Stating that addicts are also human beings Abou was of the view that drug users should be given the privilege to undergo treatment. He also felt the need for more Rehab centres in Nagaland. He informed that in contrast to Nagland which has only about five rehabs other states have more than twenty.
Also speaking at the occasion, K. Ela from Project Orchid maintained that to create a visible impact, there should be commitment and action across different stake-holders. National Programme Manager CFAR, Aarthi Pai gave the introductory speech while other speakers included Atanu Phukan from PTI, NGO Advisor NSACS, Inatoli and Jonas Yanthan from AIR.
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