25 - 31 October 2001
Issue No.557
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 25 - 31 October 2001 Issue No.557 |
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Kicking the habit
Drug addiction is not just a problem for the police to deal with. Rania Khallaf meets the woman driving that message home
The government can only be alarmed by reports revealing that at least 10 per cent of the population have been or are addicted to drugs -- and that is only counting those who admit it. So it is fighting back --Êand the high-profile conference taking place at Al-Azhar from 27 to 29 October, sponsored by Mrs Suzanne Mubarak, and focused on the role of religion in combating addiction is only one element of the battle plan.
Soheir Lutfi
photo: Sherif Sonbol
The National Campaign for Combating Drugs was launched in June 2001 under the auspices of Mrs Mubarak. The Drug Combating and Treatment Fund (DCTF), a department of the National Centre for Social and Criminological Studies (NCSCS), is the body responsible for implementing the national campaign. It partners with the public and NGOs to ensure the provision of quality prevention, intervention and treatment services for individuals who are considered to be at risk of experiencing drugs. "The services we provide, which are available throughout the country, help prevent or at least reduce the negative consequences of drug addiction," says Soheir Lutfi, director of the DCTF. The Drug Combating Council (DCC) is yet another weapon in the anti- drug campaign's arsenal -- a cabinet-level agency charged with drawing up national policy to combat the supply and accumulation of drugs in the country.
Although the DCTF was created 10 years ago, it received a boost in the late '90s, when Lutfi, who had just become its director, decided some serious measures needed to be taken. Lutfi was appointed assistant researcher at the NCSCS in 1963, a year after graduating from Cairo University. Her PhD dissertation evaluated Egypt's developmental course in the 1960s and '70s, considering challenges and problems that triggered new patterns of criminal behaviour. While her early research focused on crime, she later developed an increasing interest in drug trafficking and addiction.
Today, she is the powerhouse behind efforts to fight drug use, especially among young people. She is also responsible for some of the more innovative and open- minded initiatives being taken. "Although we work in the framework of a government organisation, I have helped form an integrated team of psychiatrists, researchers, and volunteers," Lutfi explains. "I do not believe in routine procedures, but in the complete mobilisation of available human and financial resources. Although the complexities of running our programme of action have posed some administrative challenges, the team takes swift and appropriate measures concerning the treatment of young addicts."
The DCTF's policy depends largely on the media. It has developed a communications strategy that reaches Egyptians where they live, work, learn and pray. "The campaign uses a variety of media to empower young people and their parents to make correct and healthy decisions about illegal drug use," Lutfi adds.
While drug abuse is a global phenomenon, its characteristics differ from one country to another. At a 1998 UN General Assembly session devoted to combating drugs, member states, including Egypt, recognised that reducing supply was an essential part of the global campaign. "Contrary to UN policy, however, we concentrate on reducing demand by strengthening the belief that drugs are sinful and harmful," Lutfi explains.
The fund has adopted a multifaceted approach, coordinating with other bodies to develop appropriate legislation, upgrade the skills of police who deal with addicts and dealers, combat money laundering and establish specialised treatment centres throughout the country. Its multidisciplinary strategy correlates treatment and research with outreach work and awareness-raising activities.
Recent research indicates that the media are helping change attitudes about drug abuse, so the campaign is pulling out all the stops, using television advertisements, the press, the Internet and books to reach audiences, especially 18- to 40-year-olds -- the highest-risk group where addiction is concerned. "Addiction is a ferocious enemy, and this is why I welcome all volunteers -- from NGOs to recovered addicts -- who are eager to help combat it," Lutfi says. National competitions, seminars bringing together young addicts and their parents, conferences and lectures are other examples of the numerous activities Lutfi has organised.
A telephone hot-line, staffed by young psychiatrists and community activists, has also been operational since November 1999. It provides advice and assistance to young people seeking psychological and medical treatment but hesitant to talk to their parents about their problem. So far, the line has received calls from 5,259 individuals, of which almost 630 have been referred to hospitals and treatment centres.
A similar service will be introduced in Daqahliya and Sharqiya in 2002, although efforts to fight abuse outside Cairo are coming up against more tangible obstacles. "Some treatment centres in governorates face serious problems, most importantly the severe lack of financial and human resources necessary to support treatment and rehabilitation services. We have to meet the need for training courses," Lutfi notes.
To reach target audiences even more effectively, the fund has set up a Web site; chat rooms moderated by recovered addicts will be operational within a few months.
Also in the works is the School Intervention Programme, providing education and treatment for students, parents, teachers and physicians. Lutfi hopes it will help detect and/or prevent addiction among schoolchildren and university students. Young people, she argues, are particularly vulnerable because "they misunderstand drug use; most think drugs help increase their sexual prowess and their creativity."
A database on drug abuse in Egypt was created recently, with researchers collecting information from provincial authorities, prisons and addiction treatment units to compile up-to-date statistics on who is taking drugs, where, and why, as well as the most popular narcotics on the market.
In 2000, Lutfi estimates the campaign reached about 7,700 young people in Cairo and 20,077 throughout the country's governorates. With more authority and -- crucially -- more funds, Lutfi dreams of building a nationwide system, mobilising every Egyptian to help in the battle against drugs.
Drug abuse hot-line (10am-10pm daily except Friday): 3051841 or 3041948
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