Actively fight against drugs

(Baonghean) - Over the years, local youth have always played a pioneering role in the fight against drugs. This activity has both actively helped young people protect themselves and pushed back social evils in general.

Since 2005, Hung Long commune (Hung Nguyen) has been identified as no longer a drug hotspot in the country. However, the number of drug addicts in the area has increased over the years. In 2010, there were 16 addicts, and by 2014, it had increased to 31. Mr. Hoang Trong Cat - Secretary of the Hung Long commune Youth Union said: "The commune Youth Union always identifies that the important task is to fight against crime and drug abuse. The grassroots youth organizations consider this a regular and continuous task". With that awareness, Hung Long commune Youth Union and the hamlet youth branches built the "Friends helping friends" group, the "Youth volunteers to light up the faith" team and mobilized drug addicts to quit drugs at the gathering points and at home. In 2014, the commune Youth Union mobilized 11 drug addicts to quit drugs in the locality.

The Youth Union officers are assigned to be on duty 24/24 at the rehabilitation center, helping the subjects to quit their addiction; at the same time, mobilizing the members to help families with addicts during important tasks. The charitable deeds of the Youth Union officers have gradually influenced a number of young drug addicts in the community. From 10 people successfully rehabilitated in 2010, the number has increased to 20 people as of October 2014. After successful rehabilitation, the Commune Youth Union has consulted with competent authorities and branches to create favorable conditions for loans with preferential interest rates to create jobs for post-rehabilitation addicts. Currently, 10 people have gone to work abroad, the rest have been given favorable conditions to produce and do business locally. From having jobs, many young people have given up drugs, overcome their inferiority complex, and reintegrated into the community.

Cadres of Hung Linh Commune Youth Union (Hung Nguyen) propagate drug prevention and control.

In addition, the Commune Youth Union also mobilized people who had successfully recovered from drug addiction to participate in propaganda activities to prevent and combat drug addiction in the form of dramatization. The Youth Volunteer Team “Lighting up the Faith” coordinated with the Commune Police Department to increase patrols at night to prevent and combat social evils. In particular, the Commune Youth Union coordinated with the Police Department to place crime reporting mailboxes in 10 hamlets so that people could provide valuable information to the authorities to destroy heroin retail trading spots. Thanks to that, in 2014, that activity helped the police force destroy 3 small drug trafficking rings in the area, creating trust among the people. From the effectiveness of the Youth Union movement, many organizations inside and outside the commune supported and contributed funds to the Youth Union to promote the fight against drug abuse (PCMT).

Identifying drug prevention for young people as a key task, Hung Nguyen District Youth Union has promoted the role of the "Friends helping friends" group model. Currently, in the district, there are 6 "Friends helping friends" groups with 54 members in key drug-affected communes such as Hung Long, Hung Xa, Hung Thinh, Hung Thong, Hung Tay and the town. These groups have actively coordinated with mass organizations, regularly propagating and educating the fight against drugs through theatrical forms, and regularly performing in the community.

In particular, the "Friends help friends" groups have coordinated with the police forces of communes and districts to screen subjects and organize the fight to prevent subjects from transporting, trading, storing and illegally using drugs. In the past 3 years, 9 points with signs of drug retailing have been identified, mainly concentrated in Hung Long, Hung Thinh, Hung Xa. The "Lighting up the faith" Youth Volunteer Team in the district has coordinated with functional agencies to participate in the work of sensitizing, helping, educating young people involved in drugs, and reintegrating into the community. In the past 2 years, the District Youth Union Executive Committee has coordinated with all levels and sectors to mobilize businesses to help 7 people after drug rehabilitation to reintegrate into the community and create jobs and stable income.

Along with the new economic, cultural and social developments of the young town, the negative impacts of the market mechanism, the education and management of youth are still not strict. Therefore, in Thai Hoa Town, many young people have limited awareness, are caught up in the lifestyle of debauchery, competition, and fall into social evils. According to the latest statistics of Thai Hoa Town Police, there are currently 427 people who have completed their prison sentences and returned to their hometowns, and 455 drug addicts. The situation of drug crimes among young people tends to become more and more complicated, many drug crimes are related to young people, teenagers and students. The situation of drug use has led to many other social evils such as theft, increasing the number of people infected with HIV/AIDS. The number of people who have successfully recovered from drug addiction from drug rehabilitation centers and facilities and returned to the community, only to relapse after a short time. One of the reasons why the relapse rate is still high is the community's stigma and alienation of former drug addicts.

Talking to us, Mr. Nguyen Thu Trung - Secretary of Thai Hoa Town Youth Union said: “In recent times, Youth Union chapters at all levels and police forces at all levels have continuously promoted propaganda work so that union members, youth and people can sympathize and share with people after drug rehabilitation, creating conditions to help them overcome themselves and reintegrate into the community. In addition to propaganda work at branch and association meetings, local and unit mass media, and activities of "Lighting up the Faith" clubs in communes and wards, every year, the Town Youth Union updates the list of young people who have completed their prison terms and returned to their localities. On that basis, it directs grassroots Youth Unions to assign cadres to regularly meet, contact, and learn about the circumstances, thoughts and aspirations of each case, thereby proposing measures to help. That closeness and sincerity have inspired many young people to rise up after falling, and live a useful life for society.”

Thai Hoa Town Youth Union set a target: “Each commune and ward Youth Union registers to take on the responsibility of educating, reforming, and helping at least one bad, retarded youth. Along with that, the Town Youth Union coordinates with a number of banks, organizations, and philanthropists to create conditions for youth in general and post-addiction youth in particular to borrow capital, learn a trade, develop production, do business, establish a career, and get rich legitimately. Up to now, many retarded, individual youths after drug rehabilitation have reformed and integrated into the community; at the same time, they have actively reformed other individual youths to participate in group and club activities, contributing positively to ensuring security and order, preventing and combating social evils in the locality. Typical examples include Mr. Le Xuan Hoai in Hamlet 4, Nghia Tien Commune; Mr. Nguyen Canh Thong in Tay Ho 2 Block, Quang Tien Ward; Mr. Le Duc Hung in Hamlet 2, Nghia Thuan Commune, etc.

In recent years, the Youth Union at all levels in the province has closely coordinated with functional departments and branches to organize thousands of communication sessions and forums with the themes "Youth with the fight against AIDS, drugs, prostitution", "Youth with traffic safety", "Youth with the prevention of law violations and social evils" to create a useful playground for union members and young people to exchange and prevent social evils. In addition, grassroots Youth Union organizations in the province have gradually expanded good models and practices such as: "Friends helping friends" group model; Crime reporting mailbox; Law propaganda club; Life skills club; Peer club; model "Commune, ward, town, residential area without drug abuse". The club, team, and group models "Lighting up faith", "Lighting up the dream of reform" have created many positive changes in the fight against drug abuse.

Reality shows that the drug situation is becoming more complicated, and drug dealers are becoming more sophisticated. Meanwhile, addicts often feel self-conscious and do not participate in community activities, are shunned by society, and their relatives hide their problems. Regarding this field, many Youth Union organizations have proposed that all levels and sectors increase financial support for on-site drug rehabilitation and local propaganda; At the same time, the State should have more appropriate policies in reducing loan interest rates, and coordinate to solve employment problems for post-rehabilitation drug addicts so that they have conditions to develop the economy and stabilize their lives.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Hung - Secretary of the Provincial Youth Union said: “The fight against drug-related crimes is one of the key and urgent tasks. This work requires synchronous coordination between the Youth Union with functional agencies, social organizations and all citizens. If it works well, it will limit the occurrence of drug-related crimes as well as reduce the number of addicts. In the coming time, the Provincial Youth Union will continue to improve the effectiveness of mobilizing union members and young people to actively prevent and stop crimes, contributing to strengthening security and order, ensuring social order and safety, and building a cultural lifestyle at the grassroots level”.

Article and photos:Thanh Le