RAJSHAHI: There should be adequate preventive measures of protecting the children from being addicted to various forms of drugs in the city, said Abul Bashar, Executive Director of Asakta Punarbashan Kendra, here, reports BSS. Referring to his working experience he mentioned that many juveniles, particularly the street children, in the city are getting addicted to various forms of drugs including adhesive solution, locally known as 'Dandi' as it is inexpensive and easy to find. They are an extremely vulnerable group in all aspects of life, a good number of them victims of reckless drug addiction, but their living on the streets make them more vulnerable to trafficking than other children.
Most of the street children aged between seven and 16 years are using this cheap product for substance abuse. To get the money for purchasing the drug, they are getting involved in crimes like mugging, stealing and even begging. Although there is no exact statistic for these glue sniffers, the addicts themselves informed that several hundred scavengers who collect polythene bags, unused plastic products and other unused materials from the garbage and street, abuse the substance.
Street children at Railway Station, Sheriol bus stand, Saheb Bazaar, Zero Point and Luxmipur Rajshahi Medical College Hospital areas are more prone to glue sniffing, they said. Living in dense slums, squatter settlements or on the pavement makes these children vulnerable to a dangerous concoction of dilemmas-from malnutrition to sexual abuse, and force them participating in petty thefts and other offences. Describing how the glue is abused, they said they at first collect synthetic rubber adhesive which is used to join wood, rubber, shoes for only taka 25 to 45. Even if they fail to collect the money for purchasing the adhesive, some smell shoes fixed with the adhesive. Addicted children put the gum into polythene bags and inhale strongly, which gives them a feeling of inebriation, they said.
Selim Reza, 13, came to the Rajshahi metropolis from Niamatpur of Naogaon district three years ago and used to live as a scavenger at Rajshahi railway station. He said a street child first offered him the glue. 'After sniffing, I became addicted to it as it is a different type of feeling,' Selim said. 'When I started to sniff glue regularly, blood used to come out through my nose,' another addicted child Nazirul said. 'I understand this is detrimental to health but I cannot avoid it because I am addicted,' said another 12-year old child. Dr Rakibuzzaman Chowdhury, Medical Officer (Psychiatry) of Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital, said Dandy is made of highly toxic chemical used as adhesive. Sniffing of such adhesive may cause damage to lung, brain, liver and blood.
'The addicts will develop breathing problems. Besides, the lung and liver will be damaged if anybody takes the drug,' he added.
Renowned human right activist Mustafizur Rahman Khan informed, drug addiction of children is not only harmful for them but also harmful for society.
He said, those children were engaged in various petty anti-social activities to get the money for the drug, and usually when they will grow up, they will engage in bigger crimes.
He said the government should take measures to rehabilitate street children so that they are not engaged in addiction or in any sort of crime. On this point of view, many other experts working on protection of the rights of floating children, especially those denied of their childhood and exposed to darkness and a life of abuse, urged the government and all concerned to undertake immediate and sustainable steps to bring about permanently positive changes to their lives.