| ACR Weekly Newsletter Vol.1, No.6 (December 18, 2002) | ||||
| Nepal: Glue Sniffing on the rise among Street Children |
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Appeal Nepal: Street Children and Drug Abuse
In-Depth Analysis Efforts What you can do Comments Important Links
In-depth Analysis
In-depth Analysis
NGO, GO Efforts
What you can do
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The estimated number of street children in Nepal ranges between 3100 to
5000, increasing at the rate of 1000 children taking to the streets every
year. Drug addiction and glue sniffing are a relatively new phenomenon
among street children in Nepal.
The low price of the drug (between 20-30 rupees) and its easy availability have significantly contributed to the dramatic increase of this damaging behavior. The most common form of glue used by children in called Dendrite. This substance is used for sticking rubber and is easily available at any hardware or shoe repair shops. Children as young as 5-17 years have been known to smoke this form of glue. Some reports state that around 95 per cent street children sniff dendrite. Some children use as many as 15 tubes a day (1 tube of dendrite can be used around 4-5 times). Many even use dendrite as a substitute for regular meals. The initial use is generally due to peer pressure but children get easily addicted. They also use it to ward off hunger. |
Inhaling dendrite has
anesthetic effects on the user, causing a slowdown in the body’s function.
Users may feel slightly stimulated at lower doses and they may lose their
consciousness at higher doses. The immediate negative effects of dendrite can be nausea, sneezing, coughing, bleeding noses, exhaustion, bad breath, and loss of appetite. Deep breathing of the Dendrite or using a lot over a short period of time may result in losing touch with one’s surroundings, violent behavior, loss of self -control unconsciousness or death. Long-term use can cause muscle fatigue, weight loss, electrolyte imbalance, exhaustion, and later, permanent damage to liver, kidneys, blood and bone marrow and the nervous system. This form of glue is not only easily available but is also legal and therefore can be purchased at a very low cost. The long term negative impact of such drug abuse can cause permanent damage to the child and may even lead to death. |
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| Drug Control Laws in Nepal |
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Nepal's basic drug law is the Narcotic Drugs (Control)
Act, 2033 (1976). Under this law, the cultivation, production,
preparation, manufacture, export, import, purchase, possession, sale or
consumption of most commonly abused drugs is illegal. The Narcotic Drug
Control Act, Amended last in 1993, implements most of the UN Single
Convention and the 1972 Protocol by addressing narcotics production,
manufacture, sales, import and exports for Nepal has developed in
association with the United Nations Drug Control Program (UNDCP) a master
plan for drug abuse control. The Narcotic Drug Control Act was formulated in order to address the problem of Cannabis manufacture and use in Nepal. Nepal, does not yet have a more updated law to combat recent forms of drug abuse such as glue sniffing. |
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| Glue Sniffing Among Street Children: An Asian Phenomenon |
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| Glue
Sniffing previously a central American phenomenon is becoming increasing
common phenomenon among street children in Asia. Glue sniffing is
perceived as a cheaper and safer alternative to intravenous drug use.
Though the exact number of children addicted to glue sniffing in Asia is not known, it has been identified as a common problem among street children in Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Malaysia, Pakistan, India and Philippines. Some reports state that children in Thailand are forced to sniff glue and then engaged in criminal activities. |
The
increase in glue sniffing among street children in Asia can be attributed
to three main factors:
Though most Asian countries have laws to combat drug abuse, none have as yet formulated laws to combat glue sniffing. There is an urgent need to address this problem before it addicts many more street children. |
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| NGO Initiatives addressing glue-sniffing among street children in Nepal |
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NGO programs in this field are focused on
rehabilitation efforts. NGOs such as Saathi and Sath Sath run residential
treatment programs for children addicted to glue sniffing. A lot of other
NGOs have initiated awareness raising programs that inform street children
about the dangers of such behavior. Other NGOs such as Child Workers in Nepal (CWIN) that act as watchdogs to the government, engage in research and campaign against drug abuse.An NGO in Bali has initiated a peer education program among street children addicted to drug abuse. Both NGO and government efforts in the area of drug use within Nepal have been concentrated in the countryside. Most of the Cannabis (which is the primary drug in Nepal) is manufactured and sold in the countryside. Due to this, glue sniffing which is a largely urban phenomenon among street children in Katmandu has not received much attention. There is also a significant gap in identification of high-risk children and prevention programs within Katmandu. The following are the recommendations by street children as laid out in the survey conducted by CWIN assessing the rate of drug use among street children: Society
Social Organization
Government
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| Work Towards a Solution | ||||
| Write an Appeal Letter to the Prime Minister of Nepal stressing the need to take up the issue of glue sniffing among street children more seriously and implement the recommendations of street children (see previous section). | Update
yourself with more information on the situation of glue-sniffing among
street children.
Post this article on notice and bulletin boards in order to increase awareness of the issue. |
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Important Links |
Acknowledgements/ Important Links |
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All the above articles have been written with
material gathered from the following sources;
The Kathmandu Post ,
CWIN Website,
Nepal News,
WAVE Magazine,
Child Workers of Asia Website,
Photo Source: Thaistudents.com
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