The School of Social Work at Martin Luther Christian University today celebrated World Social Work Day, which is observed on every third Tuesday of March.
The theme for this year is ‘Co-building a New Eco-Social World: Leaving No One Behind’, while the sub-theme is, ‘Youth and Substance Abuse’.
The event consisted of a panel discussion in which the speakers included government communications officer Shweta Raj Kongwar, consultant Bishar Hek, health association programme manager Iohun Dhar and educator Rueben Syiem. It was moderated by MLCU faculty member Ibasaralyne Thabah.
The speakers discussed at length the role of media and social media on drug prevention and drug use and how it has played a major part in the youths’ lives by romanticising the use of drugs and other such substances to deal with their personal issues.
The role of the church was also discussed at length and all the panellists opined that the church should be a ‘no judgement’ zone. Therefore, action needs to be taken where the church and its elders provide a safe and comfortable environment for today’s youth.
They also discussed the idea that the government’s aim to launch the Meghalaya Youth Policy and Meghalaya Drug Abuse Prevention Policy will be in vain if the public does not learn about them and push the government to implement effective ways to fight drug use and to improve the youths’ status in the state.
They further added that the rationale for having the Youth Policy is to give significance and recognition to the potentiality and the contribution that youth can contribute to the development of the state. The youth transits major changes as they move from childhood to autonomy and responsibility as adults which many are at risk to the ill-fated social issues of the society because of globalization and rapid spread of communication, multimedia, changing global economy, violence and increasing access to drugs and alcohol.
While speaking during the event Marbabiang Syiemlieh, the Acting Dean at MLCU’s School of Social Work, informed that, according to the National Survey on Extent and Pattern of Substance Use (2019), the number of people who inject drugs in Meghalaya is 11,420 but this is surely underestimates the true number.
She further added that, during the Covid-19 lockdown, non-governmental organizations and like-minded individuals working with issues of substance abuse have reported that there is a higher number of cases of substance abuse as early as 12 or 13 years of age.
The School has thus pledged to focus on the rise of substance abuse and will collaborate with community-based peer-led interventions, social associations and the Presbyterian church on this issue.
