Message from Sarah Rene Zarqani, chairperson of the Campaign for Awareness, Resilience and Education (Care) on the occasion of International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking - June 26, 2021 |26 June 2021
Mrs Rene Zarqani
‘No child is safe until all of our children are safe’
“The International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is a global observance to raise awareness of the illicit drugs problems as well as a global day for action. This year’s international theme is ‘Share Facts on Drugs and Save Lives’ which aims at combating misinformation and promoting facts about drugs. UNODC is highlighting key statistics drawn from its yearly drug reports.
“The global illicit drug situation is widely and tangibly endangering public health and safety, seriously compromising the very fabric of society and the well-being of humanity, especially children and youth. Our situation in Seychelles sadly shows that many precious young lives are still being robbed.
“There are no easy solutions in the fight against drugs, which is why as a country we need a robust multi-faceted and collective response to the full range of issues related to drug abuse and illicit trafficking. A response based on prevention, treatment and law enforcement can definitely bring about positive results. Therefore, allocating more resources and well-coordinated national efforts in prevention, treatment, social re-integration and law enforcement in equity, is crucial to the national drug control plan.
“Our people, especially our children, deserve to live in health, dignity, peace and prosperity. The efforts to crack down on drug trafficking and those who profit on human misery must be strengthened, sustained and widely supported.
“Care is a national campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of drugs and build children’s resilience against the deadly scourge. It does its best to mobilise public support and to motivate people to act against drugs and not in favour of it.
“Care’s prevention theme for the next two years, is ‘Ekout Lavwa Bann Zanfan’, which highlights the importance of listening to children as a crucial tool for prevention and as the first step in protecting children against drugs. The theme also emphasises the fact that we all have a role to play in this protection of children for prevention.
“Drug prevention, like listening to children, cannot be a one-off thing. It has to be a sustained engagement over time. Social ills and crime against children, like child sexual, physical and emotional abuse, sadly continues to morally scar our society. This poses as a serious risk factor to children being drawn into the dangerous web of substance use. We must therefore all come together to strengthen our families in more support services in prevention and early intervention for parents and children.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has intensified the challenges that the risks and consequences of drug use bring overwhelming the health system and exposing the fragility of institutions and social safety nets. At the same time, the pandemic has brought about commendable national and global efforts to educate on protective measures to stay safe and healthy and to protect each other. The key message that has come out of this is that ‘No country is safe until all countries are safe’, which we can turn into ‘No child is safe until all of our children are safe’ for a nation-wide engagement in our efforts to protect children from drugs.
“Despite the numerous challenges that our country and the world today face, we must not lose track that together, we can pursue more effective prevention and protection measures so that our children may live healthy lives in strength and resilience.”
Press release from Care