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Schools, parents in UAE hiding drug abuse cases from police

925 school students have been involved in drug cases in the last three years in Sharjah alone, shows a police report.

Drug abuse among students is a reality that has to be addressed by parents, schools and community by involving police and experts well in time before children enter the addiction stage.

Iranian mother Bahar Poury’s reaction to the possibility of his son taking to drugs after being influenced by his peers in school is typical of most mothers, rather parents, in the UAE. “If I discover my son is using drugs, I will try to solve the problem myself, but not report the matter to the police... No, I can’t do that,” she says.

Her son, in fact, had confided in her that many students in his previous school used tramadol, a restricted analgesic drug administered for moderate to severe pain. He also brought some tablets home and showed her. She immediately informed the school management but they did not do anything about the issue. Finally, she moved her son to another school and started monitoring him and his friends.

Drug abuse in schools is a real social issue the country has been facing for quite sometime. In Sharjah alone, 925 school students have been involved in drug cases in the past three years, according to a report compiled by the police’s Anti-Narcotic Department.

According to the report, a copy of which was shown to Khaleej Times by Major Mohammed Ahmed Al Khumairi of the department, “schools in the emirate were found to be covering up drug cases among students”.

In 2014, the number of students involved in drug cases was 339, while it was 379 in 2013 and 207 in 2012.

The report also says the drug crimes committed by students include consumption, possession and distribution.

Commenting on the scenario, Major Al Khumairi said these numbers themselves are worrying, but they don’t reflect the reality. A large number of cases go unreported and undetected. Curbing this crime requires a collaborative effort between the police, schools and parents. “Unfortunately, some of the schools have been covering up cases and not reporting to police and, in some cases, even parents,” he said.

He added that during investigation into these cases, many schools and other educational institutions showed unwillingness to cooperate with the police, which hampers efforts to curb the malaise which affects the future of the children.

To this, schools say the parents react badly whenever they report any issues involving their children in school, like violence, indiscipline or drug abuse to them. Most parents do not tolerate schools reporting their wards to the police, whatever be the issue.

Commonly used drugs

Students mostly use tramadol due to its easy availability, cheaper prices and strong effects.

Tramadol which is smuggled from Iran is very dangerous to the health of the children, said Major Al Khumairi. Police and security authorities are trying their best to curb smuggling of tramadol into the country to protect the youth. Certain new types of drugs have been found in students’ possession of late, such as Dormicum (midazolam) which is prescribed for short-term treatment of sleep disturbance; Lyrica tablets used to control seizures and treat nerve pain; Legaflex (carisoprodol) used for thwarting the feeling of pain in the nerves and brain and as a sleeping pill.

Some students have been caught using Chaini Khaini (chewing tobacco), which is not listed under the illegal drug list but is still dangerous for children.

Symptoms of addiction

Speaking to Khaleej Times, Dr Mohammed Abdul Rahim, specialist in alcohol and drug addiction rehabilitation, said schools and parents can easily discover the students who use drugs from their behaviour. They have to look for frequent absence from class, decline in the academic performance, isolation, loss of appetite, weakness, excessive sleeping, asking for money, bad temper and confusion.

Role of parents

When parents and schools observe such behaviour, they must immediately intervene and confront the problem. Fathers have an important role in this and should prevent the children from becoming addicts. They must know about their children’s friends and their activities, and must inculcate religious and cultural awareness.

Mothers must not deny the existence of the problem but address it. They must make sure that they do not blame the children frequently for their family troubles, and desist from comparing them with the children of other families.

Reasons for drug use

The report says the main reasons for drug abuse among school students is a lack of awareness about their dangers, bad company, lack of stability in the family, lack of supervision, harassment by parents, and lack of communication among family members, especially in Arab families.

Headmaster, father speak out

Mustafa, headmaster of a private Arabic school in Sharjah who doesn’t want his full name to be published, told Khaleej Times that some families get very upset if the school informed the police about the children’s inappropriate behaviour. Most of the time, the school management informs the parents about such behaviour but they don’t seem to care. “We had parents coming to school and yelling at and abusing teachers. Some even tried to be violent with teachers for informing the police about the misbehaviour of their children. Most of the parents refuse to accept the reality and think the school is accusing their children unnecessarily,” he said.

Mahi Al Khateeb, Syrian father of school-going children, said parents are responsible for the behaviour of their children. The father must be aware of his son’s activities. “One day, I found out that my Grade 8 son had been smoking butts of cigarettes thrown on the floor. I brought him inside the house and showed him the harmful effects of smoking on the internet. He then asked me: ‘Why are you smoking?’ I told him that I started it when I was ignorant and now I am not able to quit it,” Al Khateeb said.

“If I discover my son using drugs, I myself will try to make him stop it at first. If I fail, then I will ask the help of the police,” he said.

What can be done

Major Al Khumairi urged schools and colleges to inform parents and police when they detect drug use among students to protect them at an early stage before they become addicts.

Community members, too, have been found to be not aware enough about the dangers of the drugs used by the children. “During raids of houses of students involved in drug crimes, we faced abuse and resistance from mothers who don’t understand that we are trying to rescue their sons... so the department is planning to intensify awareness campaigns targeting students and their parents,” he said.

He urged parents to report to the police in case they detect abnormal behaviour in their children so that they can intervene effectively and early enough and save the children before they enter the addiction stage. “Informing police about children involved in drugs is not a shameful act. It is in their as well as the public’s interest. We also need cooperation of educational institutions.”

He stressed that fighting drugs is a national duty which requires planned cooperation between all parties concerned. “Preventing addiction is a social responsibility, and parents must raise their children in a proper way, give them self-confidence and educate them about the dangers of drugs.” -afkarali@khaleejtimes.com