Government programs help drug addicted street children
by Ms. Ma. Belen V. Matibag (Research and Statistics Division Dangerous Drugs Board)

Volume V, Number I, June 2005 Issue

Street children do have toys. And these toys do not require them to imagine much. It transports them into a fantastic, make-believe world. But it also warps their thinking, eats up their flesh, and leads them to death. Prohibited substances can prove to be lethal toys. 

The absence of a nurturing family drives them to find solace in shabu and rugby. These substances provide them with a welcome escape from the emotional and psychological anxiety caused by their plight.

According to a research on “Street Education: An Alternative Response to Street Children,” done by Exaltacion E. Lamberte around 40% of children respondents admitted that they use prohibited drugs or substances. Among the commonly abused substances are solvent or rugby, cough syrup, marijuana, and shabu.

Eating up tender flesh. The phenomenon of street children is, in itself, already alarming, let alone the issue of drug abuse among them. It is common to see a pack of street children huddled together, sniffing solvent from plastic bags. Some of them started abusing substances since seven years old.

The root of the problem is actually found in the children’s families and communities. In fact, the Rapid Assessment of Working Children Engaged in the Production, Sale and Trafficking of Drugs (2000) commissioned by the International Labour Organisation—International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labor (ILO-IPEC) reports that drug pushers have penetrated whole barangays and communities.

These communities are populated by drug-using and drug-pushing families who are either supported by drug syndicates or are protected by police officers.

In these communities, susceptible children are on the losing end. Left with role models who are into drugs, they, too, grow up to become drug users. Their involvement in drugs starts when they are tasked to become runners or couriers of illegal substances.

82% of child drug users belong to the 15-17 year-old age group. They come from households of inadequate income and are usually confronted by issues such as their parents’ separation and remarriage. With 35% of family members reported to be drug users, they are exposed to various abuses at home.

38% are employed in street-based jobs while 56% are into construction work, stevedoring, porterage, clerical work, and domestic work, among others.  They earn an average of Php 2,000/month.

Currently, there is a prevailing increase in the number of street children who are into drugs.  Majority of these children have been abandoned by their families while a few refused to go back to their homes.  A large part of the rescued street children indulge in substance abuse. 

For these kids, illegal substances are used as an escape to forget negative experiences and to cope with stress.  Its chronic use frequently ends up in social and health-related problems. Although a growing number of these street children fulfill the criteria of substance dependency, they are not in touch with rehabilitation services.  Majority of them are not aware of the harmful consequences of drug abuse.

What does the government do? In response to this alarming situation, the Department of Social Welfare and Development-National Capital Region (DSWD-NCR) put up a Diagnostic and Assessment Center called Ahon Bata sa Lansangan to determine the nature and extent of substance abuse among street children and also to augment the number of temporary shelters for them.  It serves as the processing center for children rescued from the streets.

From October 1998 to December 1999, a total of 1,010 street children were admitted, 85% of whom used rugby and solvent while 3% used marijuana and shabu. The DSWD-NCR refers drug-dependent street children to the PNP Bahay Bagong Buhay for Street Children on Drugs (PNP-BBBRC).

Recent developments. To better service the needs of drug-dependent street children, the Dangerous Drugs Board, in coordination with the PNP, has developed the Manual of Operation for Treatment and Rehabilitation Centers for Street Children with Substance Abuse Problems. This manual was subsequently turned over to the DSWD for dissemination to the concerned agencies and institutions.

The DSWD, on the other hand, has embarked on capability-building efforts through the “Nationwide Training on the Prevention, Treatment, and Rehabilitation for Service Providers handling Substance-Sniffing Street Children.”  The department also recommended that topics on drug addiction be included in school curricula.  In this connection, a training program was also developed for street children educators. 

The DSWD has likewise pushed for the piloting and strengthening of the Special Drug Education Centers (SDECs) and the Family Drug Abuse Prevention Program as primary prevention programs.  In addition, it has organized the Technical Working Group on Children and Youth on Drugs, a group composed of government and non-government organizations.  The initiative was based on the research conducted by the Ateneo University and the ILO-IPEC entitled Working Children in Drugs in the Philippines, which was previously cited in this report. 

The battle rages on. These programs notwithstanding, there is still a need to come up with a comprehensive and relevant treatment program for street children.  It should consist of the promotion of healthy coping lifestyles through the focus on the development of personal resiliency and environmental protective factors that will not only allow them to survive adversities but also help them grow stronger from these negative experiences.

The inadequate documented scientific data on street children taking illicit substances should challenge us to explore all response possibilities.  There is a need for everybody to join hands to provide flexible services appropriate to the ever-changing substance abuse scene and that of the street children’s, with the end view of making a difference in their lives.