RAJSHAHI, Dec 2, 2020 (BSS) – Collective participation of all government and non-government organizations concerned has become an urgent need for freeing the society from abuse of drugs.
Besides, there is no alternative to make all the existing movements and efforts of preventing drug abuse effective and fruitful to protect the young generation from further degradation.
The observation came at an orientation session for a civil society organization led network held at Hotel Warisan in Rajshahi city under the Promoting Advocacy and Rights (PAR) Project discussing and devising ways and means on how to get rid of the problem.
Light House Consortium and Dhaka Ahsania Mission (DAM) jointly organized the meeting in association with Ashakta Punarbashan Sangstha (APOSH) and Nari O Shishu Kalyan Society (NSKS) under a project titled “Drug Abuse Resistance and Understanding- DARAU”.
Counterpart International is extending technical support while USAID and UKAID financial support to the project being implemented in eight wards of Rajshahi City Corporation and all nine upazilas in Rajshahi district and all six upazilas and four municipalities in Natore district.
Around 35 persons consisting members of the civil society, professional leaders, journalists and development activists from various stakes concerned joined the meeting.
Additional Director of the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) Zafrullah Kazal and DARAO Project Manager SM Monwar Hossain addressed the meeting as focal persons, while Chief Executive of Light House Harun-Or-Rashid welcomed the participants virtually.
Executive Director of Barendra Unnayan Prochesta Foyzullah Chowdhury, Chairman of Save the Nature and Life Mijanur Rahman former Deputy Director of the Department of Social Services Pear Baksha and Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning Coordinator of DARAU Project Subrata Kumar Paul also spoke.
In his remarks, Zafrullah Kazal said the present government is zero tolerance against drug-addiction and urged all quarters to come forward to protect the young generation from the grip of social crime.
“We have to build a healthy society to achieve sustainable development goals,” he said, adding the movement against drug abuse should be turned into a social movement.
Harun-Or-Rashid told the meeting that cross-sections of people including women, parents, school and out-of-school children, adolescents, youth, transgender, public representatives and members of the civil society are being engaged in the anti-drug abuse campaign.
He said the project is intended to benefit around four lakh people either directly or indirectly.