Drug-Free World Fiji Founder Kalesi Volatabu has revealed that during their survey conducted in 2019, at least 1 out of 3 children on the streets are drug peddlers.
While speaking on fijivillage Straight Talk with Vijay Narayan, Volatabu says peddlers target young people to sell drugs as they are more vulnerable.
She says when she came to Fiji in 2019, it was hard to know the status of drug use in the country because there was no data available and most of this data was hidden.
Volatabu says they conducted a survey including 53 people from the ages of 19 to 52 around Fiji and what they found out was shocking.
She says one of the people they surveyed was an 11-year-old boy living on the streets of Suva and he was a user.
When questioned if Fiji is already in deep waters, Volatabu says domestically, there is a demand for drugs and Fiji is already in deep waters.
She also highlighted that the Ministry of Education needs to incorporate drug awareness sessions in the school curriculum so students are aware of the effects of using drugs.
The Founder says what was coming out of schools is that students are using and selling drugs in school.
Volatabu says in one of the schools, the teachers did a spot check and found needles in students' bags.
She is urging parents and guardians to educate their children on the effects of using drugs and also create a platform at home where their children can come to them for anything.
You can watch the full Straight Talk video below:
