Social stigma prevents families from reporting child abusers
"Chance of Hope" treats 580 drug addiction patients
File photo of one of Abu Dhabi Police's seizures against drug dealers.
From the source
Brigadier General Taher Al Dhaheri: “The (Chance of Hope) service contributes to raising awareness of the harms of drugs and introducing the causes of drug abuse and ways to prevent it.”
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Brigadier Taher Gharib Al Dhaheri, Director of the Directorate of Narcotics Control in the Criminal Security Sector of Abu Dhabi Police, revealed that the "Chance of Hope" service has received 580 drug addiction patients since its launch last year. Specialized addiction treatment centers.
Al Dhaheri told "Emirates Today" that there is a fear of social stigma and an obsession with scandal and shame, among some families, which makes them reluctant and wary to report cases of addiction among their children, and others have false information such as fear that reporting will lead to the son's imprisonment, which is not True, the Abu Dhabi Police, through the "Chance of Hope" service, is keen to deal with the reports it receives with complete confidentiality and privacy, and aims to provide treatment to the patient according to the highest standards through the National Rehabilitation Center and help him return to the right path.
He stressed that the "opportunity of hope" is an important way to help families treat their children who have fallen victim to the scourge of drugs, by communicating with the service, where cases are dealt with directly, and the patient is placed in an addiction treatment center, in strict confidence, to preserve the family's reputation, pointing out that “This matter did not exist previously, but with the recent amendments to the anti-drug law, parents up to the second degree were allowed to report cases of addiction.”
Al Dhaheri pointed out that the Anti-Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Law of 2021 created a kind of balance and flexibility in dealing with cases of addiction patients, as the therapeutic aspect was preferred over the aspect of punishment, including Article (7) of the law, which provided for the establishment of treatment centers in which a person is deposited for rehabilitation and treatment. While serving a prison sentence, as well as if a person is sentenced to a fine, the law also obliges him to undergo a period of drug treatment and rehabilitation.
He also referred to Article No. (89) of the Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Control Law of 2021, which stipulates that “no criminal action shall be instituted against a drug or psychotropic drug abuser, if he or his spouse or one of his relatives up to the second degree applies spontaneously, or Those who raise him may be referred to the unit, the Public Prosecution Office, or the police before arresting him or before issuing an arrest warrant, requesting that he be deposited for treatment at the unit, and he shall be deposited with it until it is decided to expel him.”
Al Dhaheri revealed that some patients defrauded the law, to escape punishment, as they rush to submit a request for treatment voluntarily on their own when they were discovered by the officers, stressing that the law obligated them to actually undergo treatment, and end the treatment program from addiction, and made this a condition for benefiting from the exemption. of punishment.
He also stressed the keenness of Abu Dhabi Police to raise awareness of the danger of drugs throughout the year, and to open channels of communication with members of the public. Awareness campaigns do not target only school students, but all segments of society, by organizing seminars in councils, schools and universities.
He pointed out that the "Chance of Hope" service is not only for seeking treatment, but also has an important role in raising awareness and guiding about the harms of drugs, introducing the causes of drug abuse and ways to prevent it, and helping families discover cases of addiction to a person, such as changing behavior and stuttering and transforming it from activity and vitality to a state of addiction. Lethargy, loss of appetite, food, etc.
Al-Dhahiri continued that removing fear and hesitation among patients with abuse and addiction encourages them to apply for treatment and recovery from this scourge, explaining that “the doors have not been closed, and the opportunity is available, and by the law that allowed the abuser or addict to make the right decision without hesitation or fear.”
Safe society
Last June, the Department of Community Development in Abu Dhabi launched the integrated strategy to combat addiction in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi (2022-2024) under the slogan "A safe society from addiction", with the aim of activating an integrated system that begins with prevention, early detection, treatment and family and community reintegration.
Many local, federal, and private sector entities participated in designing the strategy and working on its initiatives.
The strategy focuses on five main axes, which are the axis of reducing the supply by limiting the opportunities for drug supply and controlling the promoters in order to reduce the possibility of access to narcotic substances, in addition to the axis of drug prevention by strengthening early intervention efforts through targeted campaigns and positive parental education programs and measuring indicators Early engagement and cooperation with stakeholders in the educational, health and social sectors, in addition to the detection and treatment axis, which includes preparing effective mechanisms for implementing examination, follow-up and referral procedures for treatment, and launching multi-channel platforms that present information on drug-related problems.
The reintegration axis, which includes a comprehensive model of community reintegration to support recovering from addiction, while the enablers axis includes the development of a code of conduct that ensures the preservation of the identity and confidentiality of patients' information while developing the legislative framework related to addiction, including privacy and confidentiality.
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