The government is taking significant steps to address the growing issue of drug addiction among children by establishing a Child Well-being Centre.
This has been highlighted by the Minister for Women, Children, and Social Protection Lynda Tabuya as she confirms the ministry is well on track to set up the centre, which will be supported by the government budget.
Concerns are now being raised on people being a danger to their own families after getting addicted to hard drugs.
Tabuya explained that the centre will include a clinical component to rehabilitate children who are addicted to drugs and looking at the need to reintegrate the child back into the community, specifically to their family.
She says children leave their homes because their families can no longer cope with their behaviour while under the influence of drugs.
The centre’s program will focus on removing children from the streets, with the consent of their families, and placing them in a one-year rehabilitation program.
Tabuya also expressed her gratitude to Inspire Pacific, an NGO that has been instrumental in rehabilitating juvenile offenders and is now working with children on the streets who are addicted to harmful drugs.
Furthermore she says the establishment of the Child Well-being Centre marks a significant step forward in the government's commitment to addressing drug use among the country's youth and supporting affected families.
