Youth in peril: B'luru grapples with alarming rise in underage substance addiction

Sowmya Raju | NT

Bengaluru: A study by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) in 2022 casts a troubling light on the number of underage children.

According to this research, a staggering 1.58 crore children between the ages of 10 and 17 are ensnared by the clutches of substance addiction in India.

Of this statistic, an estimated 10-15% are believed to hail from the city. This implies that, within the city, the number of children who could be victims of substance abuse can approximately be around 15,800 to 23,700.

While concrete data is scarce, these studies offer a glimpse into the extent of this deeply concerning issue. Another study by the Bangalore City Police in 2021 revealed that over 10,000 street children in Bengaluru are ensnared by the treacherous web of drug addiction.

Nonetheless, this particular study is bounded by a narrow focus, taking into account only those children living on the streets, leaving behind a substantial demographic of underage individuals living with their families or in alternate settings.

Gopinath R, the Managing Trustee of Sparsha Trust, an NGO dedicated to safeguarding the rights of children, asserts that the incidence of child substance abuse has significantly reduced over time.

However, it remains a significant issue within the city. Drawing from his recent experiences, he classifies these children into two distinct groups: those from underprivileged backgrounds and those from middle and upper-class families.

He elaborated that underprivileged children, often engaged in activities like rag-picking and begging, tend to fall into the trap of substance addiction, such as drugs, smoking, or alcohol, as early as the age of 7 or 8.

Typically, these youngsters abandon their education by the age of 16 to seek employment and unfortunately become more entangled in the cycle of substance abuse.

This unfortunate pattern emerges because these children lack awareness of the potential consequences, and their parents are frequently absent from their lives, unable to provide adequate guidance.

In the second category, children from middle and upper-class families who succumb to addiction mainly for the sake of excitement. Typically, they fall prey to alcohol, smoking, and drug abuse between the ages of 13 and 16, during their teenage years.

Gopinath clarifies that these youngsters usually embark on this path out of curiosity, unwittingly getting caught in a relentless cycle. Additionally, they have ready access to funds from their well-established parents, and the supply chain for these substances is highly sophisticated.

He said, “Nowadays, drug dealers discreetly distribute and traffic drugs in inconspicuous items like pen refills and other stationery, making it alarmingly easy for these students to obtain them.”

Gopinath proposes that the government could effectively address this concern by establishing wardspecific police or child protection units.

These units would include dedicated officers responsible for monitoring underage drinking, smoking, and substance abuse within their respective wards.

Simultaneously, they would lead awareness campaigns targeting teachers, parents, and Anganwadi workers to educate them about child drug abuse and the appropriate steps to take if a child falls victim to any form of addiction.

When News Trail attempted to reach out to the BBMP multiple times regarding the government body's efforts to combat juvenile substance abuse, no response was received.