A series of images broadcast earlier this month on local
television captured the scene: Underage drug users pouring out of
two discos as police swarm around them. Hastily discarded drugs lie
in heaps on the ground, and curses and shouts hang in the air.
A suspected drug dealer was taken into custody, but that was not
the end of the story. The raid was only the latest example of the
challenges the authorities face in curbing drug use among local
young people.
In an effort to tackle some of these challenges, Caritas Youth
and Community Service, a Hong Kong-based Catholic charity, has been
reaching out to high-risk local youths through its Play Safe
Healthy Life Project. The program combines anti-drug use and sex
education with activities aimed at improving the participants'
self-esteem.
Police attempted to combat the growing presence of drugs at
local nightclubs by raiding the two discos in Mong Kok earlier this
month. The raid resulted in a clash between more than 300
youngsters and 150 police officers. When the dust cleared, 100
packets of drugs were scattered over the disco floors.
Police ended up having to disperse the crowd and subdue several
drug users by force. Though there were no injuries, the incident
reflected an unmistakable resistance to authority.
But Chu Fung, project manager of the Play Safe Healthy Life
Project, said that though young drug users might run at the sight
of police, many of them are happy to talk to people who are willing
to listen.
"They often just want attention during the long hours they spend
at a disco," said Chu. "We'll take the opportunity to build
relationships with them through conversation, and it usually works
well."
Play Safe Healthy Life Project workers regularly visit local
discos and carry out simple check-ups, such as taking the
temperature and blood pressure of willing young people.
After winning the trust of a young person, Chu and his
colleagues refer him or her to a doctor involved with the project
for a detailed check-up and counseling on the side effects of drug
use.
"We give them the medical point of view about the harms of drug
abuse, rather than trying to dissuade them with moral arguments,"
Chu said. "Hopefully that will have an impact in the long run and
put them on the right track."
Steven Ngai, an associate professor at the Chinese University of
Hong Kong's Social Work Department, said many teenagers are
undaunted by police raids and consider them a cat-and-mouse
game.
"In the surveys I've conducted, some teenagers told our focus
groups that they were even provoked by the police raids to take
more drugs," Ngai said. "The more pressure they're under, the
harder they try to escape arrest."
Katrina (not her real name), a 17-year-old student who has been
using drugs for two years, said police raids would not solve drug
abuse among young people, since they hear about the raids in
advance.
"The disco owners have their satellites (spies) outside the
discos and along the streets. We usually get the tip-offs in time
and flee," said Katrina.
Another highlight of the recent raid was the arrest of a
17-year-old girl who was two-months pregnant and allegedly selling
drugs.
Tam Chung-hoi, a social worker at Youth Outreach, said some drug
users are lured by the quick rewards into selling drugs
themselves.
"It'd be even harder for these teenagers to quit the drugs,
because they know the sources," said Tam.
(China Daily January 30, 2007)