Publications
Partners
As the country recognised Child Protection Week, the spotlight was on young children who are victims of substance abuse. According to the SA College of Applied Psychology, teen substance abuse in the country is an ever-growing concern.
The entity said children as young as 12 were starting to experiment with drugs and an increasing number of teenagers were regularly smoking dagga.
READ: Drugs are killing SA
“While talking to kids about drugs can be difficult, it does make a positive impact. Research shows that those kids whose parents and caregivers persevere and chat to them about drugs on a regular basis are 42% less likely to use drugs than those who don’t have these conversations,” said the college.
A PERFECT STORM
Anti-drug activist and founder of Yellow Ribbon Foundation Dereleen James voiced concerns for children growing up in Eldorado Park, south of Johannesburg.
The Yellow Ribbon Foundation was established by James after years of relentless personal struggles. The foundation focuses on teenagers who have just started using drugs or who showed behavioural challenges. It has an after-school project in which they implement various programmes to address these challenges.
READ: School imposes drug and pregnancy test policy
James said that, because there weren’t too many recreational facilities in the area, children were exposed to a high rate of domestic violence and substance abuse.
She said a number of children in the area were school drop-outs because their parents were drug users and were unemployed.
She said:
James said the lack of social workers in the area affected the lives of abused children as it placed them at risk of secondary trauma because, more often than not, they had to remain with the abuser or in a toxic home environment.
“According to Child Welfare in the south of Johannesburg, there are six social workers, with each having over 300 cases. It is frustrating when one calls on departments responsible for dealing with such cases and gets told there is no one to assist. Most times, underresourced community structures have to ensure the immediate safety of a minor who is in urgent need of care and protection,” James said.
Gauteng social development spokesperson Feziwe Ndwayana said the department had a responsibility to ensure children were cared for and protected.
Ndwayana said:
She added that it was important to note that services offered by the department were not limited to drug users, but the department also offered the Victim Empowerment Programme, which has five social workers in the Johannesburg area.
She said:
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
