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No Help for Kashmir’s Female Drug Addicts
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Written By: Sana Altaf/ipsnews
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Posted Date: 2/14/2012 10:15:10 AM
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Drug abuse, known to be widespread among youth
in India’s northern Kashmir state, is now showing a new trend whereby
teenage girls and women are increasingly turning into substance abusers
and addicts.
That young women and college-going girls are abusing
substances, especially toluene, a common thinner, is testified to by
officials at the de-addiction centre run by the police control room in
Srinagar.
Toluene abuse or 'glue sniffing' has become widespread because the
chemical is readily found in paints, petrol, varnishes, lacquers, paint
thinners, adhesives, glues, rubber cement and shoe polish.
"The abuse of toluene is getting very common in Kashmir because it is
easily available," says Dr. Areeb Malik at the police de-addiction
centre here.
"Getting other drugs is a bit more difficult for girls than buying ink
remover or polish," said Malik, adding that females as young as 13 years
have been found involved.
Doctors say the major causes for drug addiction among girls are peer
pressure, stress, family disputes, failure in life, examination stress,
love affairs and psychiatric disorders.
What authorities at the police de-addiction centre find worrisome is the
total lack of facilities for female drug addicts. "We do not admit
female drug addicts," said Malik.
Female addicts may seek consultation at the centre, but are then left to
their own devices. "We prescribe medicines to female addicts but they
are never kept under complete supervision which is most important for
de-addiction," said Malik.
Typically, female drug addicts do not come back after the first
consultation. "The doctors are always uncertain if they are following
prescriptions or whether they have given up drugs," says Malik.
Besides lack of facilities, social stigma restricts women from seeking rehabilitation or treatment.
"Keeping in view the social stigma which female drug addicts face, it is
important to set up a de-addiction centre for them," said Sameena (name
changed), a 22-year-old college student and former drug addict.
Sameena said she began with glue sniffing "for fun" during her school
days and then moved on to opiates. Fear of social stigma and lack of
facilities forced her parents to take her outside Kashmir for treatment.
Sameena has been under medication for 11 months now.
Mohsin Ali, an official at the stress management cell of the police
de-addiction centre, |
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