Afghan paper discusses drug addiction among women

Excerpt from report by privately-owned Afghan newspaper Payman daily on 6 August

We are living in a traditional and closed society, but events that happen in this society are amazing. Murder, violence, sexual assault against children, addiction, kidnapping, selling girls, forced marriages, underage marriages, and depravation of education are some of the problems women are facing in our society. The most amazing of all is addiction among women which is a bitter reality in our society.

But why women turn to addiction?

I visited several women addicts in the Sanga Amaj Mental Health Clinic. One of those who did not want her name to be revealed said: I smoked tobacco in the past. After the death of my only 12-year-old daughter, I became anxious and worried and I could not forget her. Under such circumstances, one of my neighbours told me to use opium to forget the pain of losing my daughter. It is now 10 years that I am taking opium, but still I could not forget my daughter who was my only hope in life.

While looking at me in despair, she said: My husband is old and frail. We are in a difficult economic situation, but worst than that is the loneliness and the pain of losing my daughter that always bothers me. She continued: Opium is the only thing that can calm me down and make me forget my sorrow.

She said to Payman daily: It has been one month since I have been admitted to Sanga Amaj hospital to quit my addiction. I am happy.

Another lady, who did not want to mention her name, said that her addiction was caused by the death of her brother.

She added: After the martyrdom of my brother, I was in a very bad condition, until a female neighbour told me to mix poppy with tea and drink it in order to forget my sorrow. I did so and having been using opium for eight years now.

Dr Shayesta, the deputy head of the Sanga Amaj hospital, says: Migration, poverty, domestic violence, and treating illnesses by narcotics at the advice of the relatives, friends, and neighbours and also having addict and drug trafficker husbands are the reasons that lead women to drug addiction.

According to Dr Shayesta, there are no specific statistics to show the percentage of women addicts in the country. While some women in the country are addicted to opium, some women who return from courtiers such as Iran are addicted to heroin.

Shakila the deputy head of Legal Department at the Women's Affairs Ministry says: We have one million addicts in Afghanistan, 12 per cent of whom are women.

She said: Most of these addicts are carpet weavers who live in the northern provinces of the country. But we were unable to talk to women who were addicted while carpet weaving. [Passage omitted: Dr Shayesta talking about women whose addiction are due to use of prescribed painkiller medication]

But, how many medical clinics are there to treat the rising number of drug addicts? Masuda Aref, the head of Mental Health Department at the Women's Affairs Ministry, says: There are several treatments canters for the addicts in the capital that we can name: The Nejat Centre, the centre for mental treatment in Kart-e 3 and a centre which is only for the female called Sanga Amaj with 20 beds.

Sayed Eskandar, a sportsman, says: Lack of family control and unemployment are two main reasons that the young generation turn to narcotic substances. But women addiction is caused by family problems, poverty, and migration.

He continued: I think that the treatment centres should have a sport programme beside all other programmes for the addicts. This can be very useful. Also addicts should be kept away for one year from where they may return to addiction. Addicted women also face other problems beside their addict; most of the addicted women are sexually exploited or turn to other acts.

Dr Shayesta says: A mother and her daughter were both addicted. The girl was occasionally stealing to buy opium and resorted to prostitution. They were admitted here, the girl managed to quit taking opium, but not prostitution. While her mother could not quit her addiction.

She added that we keep the patients in the centre for one month; the first 15 days is for prescribing anti-toxins and the last 15 days is for recovering. After one month we discharge the patient. But for one year we follow the patient out of the hospital.

She added: In this hospital, which is built and funded by the Colombo Plan, we treat our patients with both medication and psychotherapy - 20 per cent and 80 per cent respectively.

But how much can addiction among women be dangerous? Are the problems caused by women addict worst than the men? Dr Shayesta says: Taking narcotics by injection is less common in women than men, but they result in blood diseases that will lead to tragedy if not controlled seriously. She says: In any case, addiction in women is more dangerous than in men, because they women are more in contact with their children.

She said: We had a patient who blew opium smoke in his child mouth, thus causing the child to get addicted.

According to officials, there are less women addicts in Afghanistan than in other countries, but if we do not treat this 12 per cent and the government does not deal seriously with this problem, our country will encounter crises.

Source: Payman daily, Kabul, in Dari 6 Aug 08