Date: Sun, 22 May 1994 00:48:32 -0700 From: Liberty Net <[jim 1] at [netcom.com]> Subject: LN-TOPIC: alcohol ---------------------------------------------------------------- /** headlines: 366.0 **/ ** Topic: WHO: Street Children & Abuse ** ** Written 11:54 am May 16, 1994 by newsdesk in cdp:headlines ** From: George Gundrey - IGC News Desk /* Written 11:53 PM May 15, 1994 by [D--B--A] at [OLN.comlink.apc.org] in igc:hrnet.children */ /* ---------- "WHO: Street Children & Abuse" ---------- */ World Health Organization Office of Information Press Release WHO/35 21 April 1994 INTERNATIONAL EXPERTS FOCUS ON STREET CHILDREN AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE The growing international problem of street children and substance abuse is the focus of a meeting at the headquarters of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva this week attended by more than one hundred representatives of various United Nations and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), as well as research and training institutions from around the world. The purpose of the meeting is to provide a forum for the exchange of information between organizations working with street children and to define practical means to strengthen cooperation between them. Among the different projects under review, particular attention is being paid to the development of a training manual for street educators and to the progress achieved by a pilot project launched in 1991 by the WHO Programme on Substance Abuse. The Project - STREET CHILDREN AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE - aims at assisting local organizations in identifying the needs of street children, facilitating access to primary health care and welfare services, training health care workers and changing community attitudes towards street children. The project has grown from seven centres in 1993 to twety this year. Initially, the project was field-tested in nseven countries: Brazil, Egypt, Honduras, India, Mexico, the Philippines and Zambia. Shortly afterwards, the Canadian cities of Montreal and Toronto joined the programme. This year, Australia, Bolivia, Burundi, Czech Republic, Russian Federation, Uganda and United Republic of Tanzania have enlisted in the project. The turbulent climate of social and economic upheaval led to the ermgence of a previously non-existent problem in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. For the first time, countries of the region are participating in this project with sites in Prague (Czech Republic), and Moscow (Russian Federation). Among the estimated 100 million street children worldwide, the use of alcohol and other drugs is a major concern. "The problem is the same but there are significant cultural differences between the participating centres which require different approaches", comments Mr. Hans Emblad, Director of the WHO Programme on Substance Abuse. "An important part of our project evaluation is to examine the ways in which our guidelines were adapted to suit specific cultural settings". "At least during initial stages, the use of drugs by street children is functional is most circumstances", explains Dr. Andrew Ball, in charge of the WHO project. "It is a coping mechanism. Substances may be used by street children to keep awake for work, or alert to possible violence, to get to sleep, to dull physical or emotional pain, or to replace the need for food". The substances used by street children are usually those which are cheap and most readily available. For example, glue in areas where shoemaking is common, solvents in industrial areas, coca paste and cocaine in coca producing regions, and, almost universally, various forms of inhalants, alcohol, nicotine, cannabis and pharmaceutical products. In Guatemala, as many as 9 out of 10 street children are thought to be dependent on paint thinner, cheap glue or more potent drugs. In the Andean countries of South America, particularly Bolivia, Colombia and Peru, there has been a tremendous growth in the concumption of cigarettes laced with a low-grade by-product of cocaine. This by-product, known as "basuco" (from the spanish "base de coca"), is especially toxic because it contains kerosene, sulphuric acid and other poisonous chemicals used in extracting cocaine from the coca leaf. Basuco causes an even stronger sense of euphoria than inhaling glue and thus causes a more intense need for the user to continually seek a "fix". Research and observations indicate that the age of initial drug use is very young and may be getting younger. A study in Mexico City found that 12% of the those surveyed said they had started using glue on a regular basis when they were 9 years old. In Colombia and Bolivia, 8-year-old cihldren reported dealing in and smoking basuco cigarettes. In many cases, drug dealers initiate street children into drug addiction so that they become steady customers and messengers. The side effects of regular drug use by street children can have serious physical implications. Industrial glue, when inhaled, prodcues light-headedness, occasional hallucinations, loss of appetite and nausea. The long-term health impact could include lung damage, irreversible brain and kidney damage, malnourishment and a general deterioration in health. Drug use among street children is closely related to other health issues and risk-taking behaviour such as prostitution, sexual exploitation and unsafe sex practices, all of which have contributed to a growing incidence of AIDS/HIV among this particular group. While intravenous consumption is thought to be low among street youth in developing countries because of its relatively high cost, at least some AIDS/HIV cases of street children have been caused by it. The Geneva meeting is highlighting the extent of the difficulties faced by street children, particularly those who use psychoactive substances, the innovative work done by the participating organizations, and the range of possibilities for greater cooperation between United Nations institutions, international organizations and local NGOs. In the words of Mr. Emblad, "This project is based on sound principles of community development and empowerment. It has successfully assisted in shaping service plans and the implementation of strategies to help street children all over the world". ----------------------------------------------------------------- For further information please contact Dr. Andrew Ball of WHO Programme on Substance Abuse, (tel) +41 22 791 4792, (fax) 41 22 791 0746. ** End of text from cdp:headlines ** *************************************************************************** This material came from PeaceNet, a non-profit progressive networking service. 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