We know that drugs and glue is a real issue and the Ministry is talking to different partners and some experts who say glue rehabilitation is very difficult.
Assistant Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation Sashi Kiran highlighted this when asked on what her Ministry is doing about the issue of glue sniffing.
She says they are looking at models on how to rehabilitate children that have been on glue for a really long time and able to still access it and that is why it is taking them time on what is the appropriate program, or where do they rehabilitate them.
Kiran further adds it is hard for them to tell people not to give money to these youths as there is empathy around it, but their people working on the streets with these children know when that $2, $5, or that $10 goes straight to buying glue and not food.
The Assistant Minister says they also have to work around how to discourage people from giving them money.
She further says it is a difficult one but they beg the public’s patience as the numbers on the streets are higher, especially in Suva and Nadi.
Kiran says they are working on solutions but it will take some time.
