Children of inattentive parents more likely to try drugs, study reveals

Children of inattentive parents more likely to try drugs, study reveals

Study says that parental negligence and domestic violence lead drug abuse.

April 29, 2010 8:53 by Katherine Azmeh

A lack of education among children and parental negligence drive young people to drugs, according to a scientific paper presented on Wednesday at the second day of the first regional symposium on drug control and information sharing at the King Faisal Hall in Riyadh.

The study by Nawal Al-Shammari, which looked at the role of educational institutions in the fight against drugs, pointed out that frequent beatings and reprimanding children for no reason result in frustration that could eventually make them disobedient.

“They run away from home and seek shelter with unscrupulous people who deal drugs,” he said in his presentation.

“School drop-outs are easy victims of drug abuse.”

Al-Shammari also called for social service organizations to organize programs with families to advise parents on how to bring up their children.

General director of Narcotics Control Maj. Gen. Othman bin Naser said narcotics had caused social and economic problems in many countries.

He pointed out that topics chosen for discussions in the meeting related to the effect of drugs on human life and factors that threaten men and women.

He hoped that the symposium would deepen cooperation between the Kingdom and other countries in the fight against drugs.

Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Prince Naif inaugurated the three-day event on Tuesday, with nearly 480 delegates from 26 countries attending. Separate sessions for women were also arranged.

In his opening speech, Prince Naif called for the intensification of efforts to promote international cooperation to combat drugs. The prince told delegates that the world community should make concerted efforts to prevent the influence of drugs in their respective countries.

He pointed out that the international symposium was evidence that Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and Crown Prince Sultan was keen to develop solutions to tackle the problem.

“Such a meeting provides a good platform for an exchange of expertise that might protect our society from the evils of narcotics,” he said.

The General Directorate of Narcotics Control organized the symposium in cooperation with the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Naif University For Security Sciences, King Saud University and Imam Mohammed ibn Saud Islamic University.

Drug trafficking is punishable by death in Saudi Arabia, regardless of the quantity being smuggled.

The Interior Ministry seized 8.3 million banned tablets with a street value of SR292 million in one raid last December.

Earlier this month, the ministry arrested 195 individuals on charges of smuggling drugs into Saudi Arabia in what was one of the largest anti-drug smuggling operations in the Kingdom’s history. “We also carry out organized awareness programs to fight against narcotics and we have rehabilitation programs for the drug victims,” Prince Naif said.

He also opened an exhibition that is to run concurrently with the symposium.

UNODC Director Sandeep Chawla said that the Kingdom was an example to be emulated by other countries in the fight against drugs.

Describing the narcotics problem as a global issue, Chawla called for efforts from all participating countries to benefit from the symposium, which covers a wide range of subjects related to combating drugs. He added that such initiatives would reduce drugs-related crimes.

Participating countries include Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain, United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Bahrain, Sudan, Egypt, Libya, Lebanon, Kuwait, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Romania, Belgium and Australia.

–Arabnews