Male’, Maldives – Minister of Gender, Family and Social Services Aishath Mohamed Didi said that the usage of drugs is linked to many social problems and that the number of women and children getting involved in these cases are increasing.
Minister said this while speaking at the Placeholder for Maldives Medication Assisted Treatment (PMMAT) briefing held with US Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in addition to the National Drug Agency.
Speaking at the briefing, Gender Minister said that many steps have already been taken to solve this nation wide problem and that one thing which must be given up most important is the availablity of different programs in different areas of Maldives to bring such people back to the society through rehabilitation and reintegration.
Minister also said that the Ministry gives special attention to give care to those who need special attention and protection and that most of the time these people include those who have been involved in drug cases.
In addition to this Minister said that these people have been given food, shelter and detoxification which is needed under that quick care given to them. She further said that the NDA have recently been active in treatment around 400 people who were involved in drug cases and that this experience showed that there are many factors to be improved.
Minister then highlighted the need for evidence based, need based and community based intervention programms and said that the current procedure used for treating such people must be changed. She then noted the importance of rehabilitation centres to treat women and children who have been involved in drugs inorder to bring them back into the society.
