Africa-Press – Botswana. Drugs. They have wrought havoc to homes, destroyed family relationships and led to suicide and murder. Most of the victims and culprits are young people.
Time, has come to redirect young people’s energies away from drugs and toward positive and profitable actions, says first lady Ms Neo Masisi.
Ms Masisi, together with spouse of the Swiss President Ms Muriel Zeender- Berset was having a heart-to-heart conversation with young people at a filled-to-capacity Maitisong Centre Tuesday.
She said young people could ensure their future by formulating solutions to drug and substance abuse among their cohort. “It is a challenge that requires a multi-sectoral approach and availing friendly youth, solid platforms for young people to engage more,” she said. She called for open dialogue on drugs and substance abuse, saying it would go a long way in helping to prevent young people falling victim.
A Form Five pupil at Ledumang Senior Secondary School, Andre Ramoshabati blamed peer pressure and the media for drug use among youth.
He reckoned glamorisation of drugs by the media made it easy for starry-eyed young people to fall prey to drug use as they believed what they saw on television was how life should to be. Not helping the situation was the fact drugs were easily accessible, creating a corridor for pre-exposure and use. Ditiro Maswele, an out-of-school youth, blamed lack of guidance and care by parents.
He said parents spent most of their time at work, which prevented them from giving guidance to their children. This created opportunity for young people to look to the streets for guidance.
It was here, he said, that they were recruited into drug use. At times young people took to drugs in the hope they would help ease their frustrations over poor academic performance and lack of understanding by parents, said Ditiro.
He said not all children were academically gifted and parents should be supportive when they did not perform well at school. Another issue that he attributed to drug use was unemployment. Because they had ample idle time many young people began experimenting with drug. A youth activist, Tlotlo Gaobinelwe said she went into volunteer work when she could not get a job after graduating.
Together with other young people, she formed clubs that addressed drug abuse and other challenges faced by youth. She urged her peers to channel their energies and time into doing good for themselves and their communities.
Giving an overview of drug use in Botswana, Botswana Police Officer Commanding, Narcotics Fauna and Flora Investigations Unit, Senior Superintendent Moatlhodi Ntuane said Botswana was both a source of and conduit for illicit drugs. Sadly, youth were the ones mostly affected by use, he said.
Supt Ntuane said the most commonly used illicit drugs in Botswana included cocaine (both powder and crack), methamphetamine (both crystal meth and cat), methaqualone (mandrax), dagga and heroin.
He said in 2022, dagga, cat and cocaine topped the list of commonly used drugs by both males and females. He said BPS had embarked on capacity building of law enforcement officers, community engagements, school and youth outreaches as well as building national, regional and international cooperation to combat the illicit use of drugs. They also carried random raids on suspected users and dealers.
For her part Ms Zeender-Berset said drug abuse was a complex subject that affected individuals and societies and it was encouraging to see young people openly dialoguing around it.
“In Botswana, two thirds of the population is under the age of 35, whilst in Switzerland two thirds are over the age of 60, therefore as a nation of youth you hold the future,” she said. Drug use and gender-based violence were challenges the world over, and the resulting trauma which could last a life time, but appropriate strategies could help, she said Youth, parents, teachers, NGO and youth organisations’ representatives among them Botswana Association of Addiction Professionals (BAAP) chairperson, Dr Selemogwe Matsetse, government officials, community leaders, and law enforcement attended the conversation.
For More News And Analysis About Botswana Follow Africa-Press
