THE ancient Fijian concept of family (Vuvale) may be the turning point in Fiji’s desperate fight against the drug culture which threatens to destroy its youth.
Among many of the nation’s young people ravaged by drug use—some contracting other diseases through shared needle use—there is a common thread.
“The want to get back to family,” is the observation from Michael Copland, UNICEF Pacific’s Chief of Child Protection.
The desire of lost young people to regain the lost love, protection and safety of the family is one of the main motivations of UNICEF’s four-year drug intervention programme for Fiji.
Figures show that as many as 3500 school students may be involved in the use of drug-related activities.
Authorities have expressed alarm at the shared use of needles, including the use of amphetamines through the transfer of blood in a process known as Bluetoothing.
In an exclusive interview, Copland noted that the nation faced a rapidly escalating crisis.
But he remained confident that a “collective effort” could have positive outcomes.
“What I would say is different and concerning, is how quickly the increase in exposure to drugs is happening,” Copland said.
“Compounding this is a dangerous link with a surge in HIV AIDS cases and a pervasive lack of information around drugs and the risks.”
Stigma is a byproduct of this lack of information, preventing open conversation.
“If we just ignore things, they’re not going to go away,” Copland warned.
To bridge this gap, UNICEF is partnering with the government, religious organizations civil society to create communities in which young people are better informed about drugs.
The strategy will focus on prevention.
“If we want to reduce the level of harm, just responding to the symptoms is a bit like just having the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff,” Copland said.
“We’re waiting for people to fall off the cliff. Prevention is much more cost-effective.”
By the end of the four years, the hope is that the picture is different – a Fiji where children in trouble can access child-friendly services without fear, getting them back to school, being reconnected with a family, being safe from drugs.
The family aspect is important for UNICEF.
“The children that we have been spending time with, the majority of them want to get back to a family,” Copland revealed.
“Just almost 80 per cent of them. So even though they’ve had a really hard time, they still want to reconnect.”
The most important goal for UNICEF is to work with families to create safe pathways home.
“We know that we can do this together,” Copland said.