... tough on drugs ... or families?

Australia's Tough on Drugs plan has been launched with a booklet distributed to every Australian household. The booklet charges families with the primary responsibility to change what is a widespread social problem. The actual effect however may be to exacerbate parental stress and send the issues further underground.

In Brisbane, the Australian Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA) joined with the Ethnic Mental Health Program and Radio 4EB to present a series of lectures entitled "Youth at Risk and the Effects on the Family".

Dorothy Buckland-Fuller, WILPF NSW member, sociologist and strong activist on social issues especially women, the ethnic community and the environment, was invited to present the sessions, along with a doctor whose patients include drug users, a woman Greek mental health support worker, a youth worker and a representative from Drug Arm.

In a phone interview, Dorothy shares her concerns about the government's approach, and her hopes for change.

This is the largest single initiative in the country, over half a billion dollars to do something about an issue that has been going for years. And such a great cost for this $27M booklet which is meant to provide a solution, whereas in reality inaction has made a solution impossible to reach.

Almost half of the allocated funding is for patrolling. This approach is either naive or stupid. We simply can't stop drugs coming in to the country. For a start, corruption does happen and it's not a new phenomenon. Twenty years ago we were told that police were taking money. The government's initiative won't change this.

Read the booklet carefully to look at where our money has gone. Note the number of pages with general information and medical listings that you could get on the internet.

Worst of all though are the messages this book gives. I think that it puts the responsibility onto the parents. Talk with your children, the booklet tells us. Yet do we really believe that young people will go to their parents about this?

According to the government's survey results, 76% of young people said that they were willing to talk to their parents about this issue, and 71% said that parents could influence them not to use drugs. Fiddlesticks. Every person who came to our lectures agreed that parents are the last people their children would go to.

My concern is that parents who read booklet without discussion, without input or support from other perspectives, will believe that they are at fault, that as parents they are primarily or solely responsible for their children's drug use.

What the booklet doesn't address

A writer friend in Sydney tells me that a large number of kids are hiding in dilapidated houses. These are kids at risk. Their ages are 11, 12, 15, younger, older, from all over Australia. During the day they hide so they wonÕt be apprehended, then at dusk they come out in search for food, money ... and some of them for drugs? Police do nothing and then suddenly it becomes such a pressing concern, yet policing is just one small part of the response needed. Prevention, love, education, involvement, these are the important things that should be examined.

The issues are complex, and they are much wider than a simple focus on patrolling. Kids now may even 'manufacture' drugs. A youth worker told me about seeing kids cycling along the road, opening a plastic bag, sniffing it then putting it away as they continued to cycle.

There must be an approach that supports the social needs of our communities, and here I want to speak of domestic violence. At a government level this issue is still treated as second rate and now it's going further backwards, with its importance on the nation's agenda clearly advertised by all the funding cuts. Among the scapegoats in this are the ethnic communities. I told our audiences that drug abuse by children and youth are not only the responsibility of parents but the combined responsibility of parents, friends, neighbours and especially the state. We are all responsible for our children. Teachers too. Parents can do little without support. And the poorer suffer most.

If we're really going to address the issues, rehabilitation is an absolute necessity. Yet our public hospitals don't have sufficient beds even for essential surgery, let alone the rehabilitation programs that are needed. It is worth noting here that the youth worker who spoke at our meetings told us that young addicts do not like the atmosphere of hospitals.

Supporting communities

These three drug awareness evenings organised by AHEPA have been a very good initiative and quite rewarding. They were very well publicised and politicians attended as well. At first it was mostly the speakers presenting the issues, then the audience began to participate asking questions, even talking among themselves. I could see the positive response immediately. Following the latest edition of the weekly radio program that I present each Thursday for 4EB, there have been 17 calls from parents concerned about their children's drug problems. This is a major achievement for communities where to speak of such things is seen as taboo.

Underlying the Prime Minister's statement are serious assumptions about the nature of families and cultural norms in parent-child communication, and I could see everyone nodding when we challenged the suggestion that children would communicate with their parents on these issues.

In Greek culture there is a major stigma attached to drug use, so the overwhelming response is to cover up because families don't want others to know. Now the Prime Minister has exacerbated this to the extreme by putting further feelings of guilt onto the parents. This can only add to parents' unhappiness, worry and stress by reinforcing the belief that parents are responsible for both the drug use and the rehabilitation of our young people.

It is so sad that the government should present this as the reality. I ask you, is it not bad enough that parents are already so worried about their kids without inferring that they are also dysfunctional if their children do not speak to them about these problems? Research findings depend very much on what kinds of questions are asked. The booklet's research findings are certainly not the reality for many families our society; and the government's approach is not the way to deal with the issues that challenge all our communities.

Women made up the great majority of the audience at the lectures, and we also held an additional meeting by appointment. This provided people with a safe and supportive environment to speak confidentially about their concerns. The positive response and the space to share their thoughts can then encourage others to talk as well. This is happening here, and it is a very positive sign because women and families shouldn't feel the burden is theirs alone. What I've suggested is that they begin by lobbying the politicians. Communities need services; they canÕt effect the necessary changes by themselves. The problem is that police and politicians won't easily engage in the real work needed.

Acting for the future

This issue has to be tackled from every level. Parents must have a hope. Whereas the majority of people think that smoking marijuana leads to hard drugs, I think it is not quite like that. I agree with the community worker from DRUG ARM who said that this is not a one-way path; people can also go 'back', they can be weaned and so forth. We all need to understand the complexity of the issues and the beliefs underlying the different methods of helping. Simplistic approaches to this are dangerous.

Schools offer a great opportunity for positive action, though this is not a new idea; we were talking about this 20 years ago. Yet still the school doors are locked at 3.30pm and kids go home, or they may have nowhere to go. At various times they are ignorant, and experiencing a range of emotions including anger at their parents, and it only needs a moment of weakness. Hence many kids will experiment with drugs but some get stuck.

Governments could spend some money to keep schools open and employ teachers or women who would like to help as mentors, so that young people are encouraged to expend energy there instead of spending money on drugs. Mentoring could help young kids by ensuring that they have somebody to talk to.

What about adopting the beautiful Indigenous tradition of having older women as aunties so that young people could experience and practise respect? We have so many intelligent older people in our communities with so many years still to offer and such story telling abilities. And young people, contrary to what we hear, do like people to tell them stories.

While we can't generalise, I believe that young people would love schools to be open in the afternoon. Not for lessons, not to punish children or to keep them in by force, but to offer activities that young people would love to participate in. And especially to provide them with love. Activities could include singing, dancing, music, drama and making. And learning languages because, whether we want it or not, their future will be characterised by globalisation and learning a language opens horizons. All this can be done at school at an early age.

And focus on the environment. Young people are interested in the environment because it is their future. It's just a matter of asking the right questions. The Do the Right Thing campaign in NSW has been a good example. Kids were even encouraging their parents. However we need to expand the notion of environment to include respect for the land, all animals and themselves so that they grow up to resist adding poisons to their own bodies. Challenge the mediaÕs popular 'eat rubbish, drink rubbish, feel good' approach.

Women working together

As women, we can go to the government to subsidise a series of seminars or similar activities where women of English and Non-English speaking background can work together on the issues, exchange ideas and strengthen the women's movement. Ask all political parties for their policy on drugs and what they are doing for our children and grandchildren. Make this an issue for the election. Let us approach every women's organisation and invite them to join forces and lobby politicians. And lobby for teacher inservice to be reinstated.

And finally, let us work to expand our WILPF membership base so that we have a stronger voice. WILPF is made up of good women, thinking and politically astute. It will take some time for younger women to be committed as they juggle kids and PhDs, but it is essential that we encourage these women to join. Mindful of their incomes and other commitments, we could offer a year's involvement without subscription fees to allow them to develop a feeling for our organisation. This way we would have a few more members to start projects, and may develop blueprints for other organisations.

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