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Singapore

Inter-ministry committee set up to help parents, schools tackle youth drug abuse

Inter-ministry committee set up to help parents, schools tackle youth drug abuse

Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam touring Pertapis Halfway House with its head of home Sufian Salim (right) on May 2, 2023. (Photo: TODAY/Leonard Leong)

  • The government is setting up an inter-ministry committee to focus on drug prevention among youths
  • Chaired by Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam, it will have seven representatives
  • The committee will focus on drug prevention efforts at homes, through parents, in schools, in the community and in National Service
  • Parents told TODAY that children can be influenced by the media, leading them to try drugs
  • Among other things, they suggested that the government set up a hotline for parents to call in to seek help from counsellors if they suspect their children of experimenting with drugs

SINGAPORE: Mr Gurushankar Sangarathas knows that children are exposed to content espousing the medical benefits of cannabis so he watches movies with his 14-year-old daughter to build rapport with her and follows her on social media to ensure that she keeps good company.

"We as parents have to set guidelines and rules at home," said the 43-year-old senior safety manager, who is keen to ensure that young people such as his daughter understand the harm that drugs can do.

Amid rising evidence of drug use by the young, the government is setting up an inter-ministry committee to look into how it can work with parents, schools, the community and other stakeholders to prevent the abuse of drugs among youth.

The formation of the committee was announced by Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam, on Tuesday (May 2) on the sidelines of his visit to Pertapis Halfway House in Geylang.

The move follows the publication of a survey of more than 6,000 Singapore residents by the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) showing that that the mean age that people started consuming drugs is 15.9 years old.

Drugs were consumed at home for some 30 per cent of respondents who had taken drugs in the past year, showed the survey, which was published on Wednesday.

Mr Shanmugam was at Tuesday's event to launch the new Prestige programme, which provides residents of the halfway house, who are ex-offenders, with job training in areas such as printing and logistics to better prepare them to find and keep jobs in society. 

Speaking to reporters after the visit, Mr Shanmugam said that the results of the IMH survey were "quite worrying".

"The survey showed that homes were the most common location for drug abuse, and the average age for starting drug abuse was actually 16. So, you see, this is quite worrying," he said.

To deal with this trend, the government is bringing together various ministries to "take a broader look from different aspects of drug prevention for young people", he said.

Listen:

Mr Shanmugam said that the committee aims to "drive (the message) home further" with young people that drugs are a serious problem. 

"That is why we need to work with the parents, with the community, with the schools, National Service – in a variety of different ways. And send the message, give them alternatives, give them opportunities to think about it, think carefully, and try to keep them out of trouble," he said.

The committee, to be chaired by Mr Shanmugam, will comprise representatives from the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Social and Family Development, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, People’s Association, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Communications and Information, as well as the Ministry of Health.

There will be a total of seven Senior Ministers of State, Ministers of State and Senior Parliamentary Secretaries from the various ministries.

The committee will start its work in the third quarter of this year.

WHAT PARENTS SAY

Ms Jackie Yu, a 50-year-old communication specialist, also called the findings of the IMH survey worrying.

Ms Yu, whose son is 16 years old, said that the important question for parents is how children get exposed to drugs and what drives them to try drugs.

“Is it the school influence, the internet, do they get contacted on Instagram? I guess with more information, it will be more assuring to know what the government and parents can do better,” she said.

On the survey numbers showing that 30 per cent of respondents who had taken drugs in the past year did so at home, Ms Yu said that it did not matter where a child takes drugs.

“The fact that they can get drugs easily is something that needs to be worried about,” she said.

On how the government could partner with parents, Mr Gurushankar proposed conducting school excursions to the Drug Rehabilitation Centre or holding talks with reformed drug abusers to highlight the consequences of taking drugs in Singapore.

The government could also set up a hotline for parents to call if they suspect their children of experimenting with drugs and need advice or help from counsellors, he said.

Ms Yu said that the government could also deter young people from trying drugs by sending out the message that there are health risks to consuming them.

This article was originally published in TODAY. 

Source: TODAY/ga

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