ShareKUWAIT: Parents set the example for the youngsters to follow and play a prime role in their upbringing and immunizing them against serious hazards such as narcotics. Dr Yaacoub Al-Kanderi, a sociology professor, said in an interview with Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that parents play a great role in raising good-mannered children and those who lack presence and care of the seniors tend to seek alternatives to fill the compassion void. Youngsters deprived of such vital care look for other examples to follow and in some cases, they choose to follow footsteps of drug addicts and criminals.
They may also seek to fill the sentimental void via the social media and become prey of bad influencers. Dr Al-Kanderi had conducted a study, in cooperation with his peer, Dr Humoud Al-Gishaan, examining cases of the addicts at the Central Prison and the Psychiatry Center of Bashaer Al-Khair society. Examining a sample of addicts at correction facilities, Dr Al-Kanderi and Dr Al-Gishaan discovered that 90 percent of the cases started taking narcotics when they were less than 24 years of age.
This is a dangerous index, Dr Al-Kanderi has said, for it shows that most of the addicts start taking drugs at young age, therefore this is when protection should be applied, not only providing treatment. The society needs a protection system rather than a treatment process to stop drugs’ spread, he reemphasized, also stressing the necessity of good guidance to the youth to prevent from acquiring the harmful habit.
In addition to the role of the families, religious, educational, health, civil associations and the media can play a significant role in this regard, Dr Al-Kanderi said. In Fact, schools’ role comes after that of the families, in addition to the input of the social and psychological specialists. Collective action on part of all these parties can decrease drugs-related problems. Kuwait is not a drugs’ exporting country, however there are gangs that promote the harmful commodities and traffic them into the country, he said, warning that the actual numbers of the addicts is quite large.
Anti-drugs center
Aware of the major dangers posed by narcotics against the Gulf communities, the GCC states had established the Gulf Criminal Information Center to Combat Drugs as part of the efforts to unify efforts in the face of the menace. The center facilitates operations and joint investigations against illegal trade in drugs and enhancement materials.
Issa Al-Kawari, the director, told KUNA that the center, that comprises the six member states of the GCC, is specialized in swapping intelligence related to combating narcotics and relevant offenses. It facilitate and coordinates joint operations, data storage, analysis and swap, in addition to boosting cooperation among the member states in fighting cross-border organized crimes.
Moreover, the center aids local authorities in each of the member countries, draft recommendations regarding the illegal trade and addiction cases, holds cooperation with regional and international centers and agencies also involved in the field. Meanwhile, Moussa Al-Jameel, the head of the international cooperation at the center, affirmed in remarks to KUNA that the center often signs memos with counterpart external bodies to benefit from the foreign expertise in combating drugs and examines latest solutions to the issues abroad.
The center had worked out accords with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime for coordination regarding technical support and training, Nayef Arab University for Security Sciences, the police training academy at the Qatari Ministry of Interior and singed a memo of coordination with the British Anti-Crime Agency. Furthermore, the center maintains “distinctive relations” with the international police, the Interpol, the European police, the Europol, the Asian police, Aseanpol and the joint cell for Afghanistan (Iran and Pakistan) for fighting drugs in addition to many other renowned agencies.
Colonel Hamad Al-Hamad, the head of information and operations, affirmed that the center exchanges information with the security authorities in the GCC countries, depending on its data bank. For his part, Saeed Al-Dbai’, the head of studies, said the center devotes particular attention to enhancing skills of the personnel, holding four training courses per year for the staff. The center, he added, contributed to establishing unified international networks for combating the narcotics. - KUNA
