The number of juvenile drug users is much higher than the numbers held by the State, say the MPs who during yesterday's meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights stressed the need to establish detoxification units for minors, mainly in Larnaca and Famagusta. based on their own evidence the problem began to take on alarming proportions.
During the previous discussion of the issue, last November, the competent state services referred to the data that have been officially recorded and were repeated yesterday.
Specifically, between the years 2013-2015, the Police identified 274 minors, who were referred and received treatment by the treatment units "Prometheus" in Limassol and "Perseas" in Nicosia. Of the 274 minors, 96 came from the Nicosia District. 79 were located in Limassol, 18 in Famagusta, 30 in Paphos and 51 in Larnaca.
For 2016, a total of 29 minors were identified, 13 of which come from the provinces of Famagusta and Larnaca where there are no treatment units for minor users. Specifically, nine of the minors come from the Famagusta area and 5 from the Larnaca province.
As for the minor users who were in treatment programs until last November, the Commission had been informed, at its previous meeting on the subject, that there were 18 people aged 14 to 22 in the Perseas Unit and in the Unit " Prometheus "17 people aged 14 to 22 years.
For the province of Paphos, it was reported yesterday that the Cyprus Anti-Drug Council will subsidize a specialized program, while for the provinces of Larnaca and Famagusta, experts argued that the officially recorded numbers are such that do not justify the creation of independent units.
At the moment, however, as they said, the "Achilles" Unit that operates in the province of Famagusta has been strengthened and the training of officers in dealing with minor users has begun.
A representative of the Mental Health Services admitted that in the provinces of Larnaca and Famagusta there are shortcomings in the treatment of minor users but agreed with the position that the number of these children, which is an average of 8 per year, does not justify the creation of an independent structure.
From the side of the Cyprus Anti-Drug Council, it was reported that the existing gap is recognized but, from the moment this gap was identified, a specific action plan was drawn up and suggestions were prepared which are under study.
However, the members of the Committee were not satisfied with what the representatives of the competent state services had said. Due to lack of time, the questions asked by the Members were not answered and so the Committee, which considers the issue to be very serious, decided to return to the debate before the end of May and specifically to its meeting on 29 May. The responses of the ministries involved are expected to be submitted to the Commission in writing.
It is recalled that during the first discussion of the issue by the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights, there was talk of "malfunction of the detection mechanism" of children, while teachers had stressed the need to prepare protocols according to which they should act in cases where they find someone a minor who, in their view, will need help.
Source: Phileleftheros