Giving Young People in Southeast Asia a Voice on Drug Issues

Like their counterparts in much of the world, young people in Southeast Asia are increasingly at risk of getting involved with drugs, a dangerous habit that can lead to such deadly health consequences as addiction and HIV infection. Health professionals, eager to reduce the harm associated with drug use, have begun to listen to the voices of young people to hear why they believe youth initially start using drugs — and what would best help them stop.

UNICEF, in partnership with the HHD Global Program’s Southeast Asia Initiative, has coordinated a new effort in Southeast Asia to give voice to the views of young people on this very important issue. Last April, UNICEF sponsored the first-ever “youth track” at the International Conference on the Reduction of Drug-Related Harm in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Through youth-led presentations, group discussions, and skill-building workshops, over 80 young people from the region joined researchers and practitioners in a global dialogue on drug prevention, treatment, and harm reduction.

To prepare for the conference, UNICEF conducted focus groups with young people in Thailand, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Vietnam. Young people ranging from 12 to 24 were asked key questions:

• Why do people use drugs?
• Why do they stop?
• Are you aware of prevention or treatment programs?
• How effective do you think these programs are?
• How could they be improved?

The results of the youth consultations were summarized into a report that was distributed at the conference and served as a centerpiece for the youth track.

“One of the most striking results of these focus groups was how well the young people’s observations matched what the research literature says about the nature of drug use and about what it takes to develop effective responses to drug use,” said Michael Rosati, director of HHD’s Southeast Asia initiative and author of the report. “For example, just as research shows that effective treatment takes into account the individual’s environment—family, peer, community, and societal influences--many of the young people we interviewed felt it was very important to blend programs for individuals with services for communities and families.”

The young people also advanced a number of recommendations for improving drug programs. Highlights of their recommendations include the following:

• Governments need to promote the active involvement of communities, schools, and families in prevention programs.
  
• The age of first use is getting younger, therefore prevention programs need to begin with children ages 12 and 13 prior to their first exposure to drugs.
  
• Programs should be age- and culturally- appropriate. They must focus on skill development including decision making, goal setting, negotiating coping with emotions, developing appropriate and supportive relationships, in addition to information about drug use.
  
• Positive peer pressure should be used both in school and community settings, including creating youth camps to provide opportunities for discussion, skill development and positive alternative activities.
  
• Young people noted that very little information was available on this topic and recommended that programs be developed to educate young people about ways to reduce the harms associated with drug use?especially the harm related to the use of needles and syringes resulting in HIV/AIDS infection.
  
• Treatment programs should require the participation of families.
  
• Service providers need to stop being judgmental about young drug users and instead relate in a professional and compassionate manner.

The young people had the opportunity to make formal presentation on these recommendations at the conference to and attend advocacy workshops. Two sessions brought adults and young people together to discuss youth perspectives on prevention and treatment policies and programs. One highlight was the reading of a statement written by a young man from Vietnam who described his triumph over drug addiction and his subsequent, sobering discovery that he had contracted HIV. The young man was unable to attend to the conference due to SARS-related travel restrictions, but his compelling statement was read aloud by another young man from Indonesia.

“The response to the youth track was amazing,” said Rosati. “The young people felt that their voices were heard, the adults listened, and the results of these dialogues will be shared worldwide.” UNICEF distributed the full conference report to 350 key representatives around the world, including UNICEF country offices, and other UN agencies such as UNAIDS, UNODC, UNDP. Plans are underway for another youth track at the next International Harm Reduction Conference in Melbourne, Austrailia.

“These youth consultations, and UNICEF’s sponsorship of the youth track at the conference, was an important start,” said Rosati. “Other countries are looking at conducting similar consultations. We recommend further research with even larger samples of young people, and we look forward to doing more work with UNICEF on the issue."

October, 2003