What in the world are we coming to when children start ingesting hand sanitisers?
How is it that this has become the latest fad?
This harmful behaviour among some of our children is a major concern, and a nightmare for the powers that be.
As work continues to try and address this behaviour, we are reminded about the harmful impact of glue sniffing.
Assistant Minister for Women Sashi Kiran sounded the alarm this week to alert parents.
She said the ministry “has been receiving a lot of reports of children eating glue on bread and drinking hand sanitisers”.
And the harsh reality is that most of the reports, she noted, were from informal settlements and rural areas.
The ministry, she said, was working with other ministries and agencies to engage the children in vocational programs because some of the children were skilled and very talented.
But, think about that! Some children are reportedly eating glue on bread and drinking hand sanitisers.
Reports had been received about “boys drinking methylated hand sanitiser” with juice.
“We are finding out that children are eating glue on bread, this is not new. You know several of these kids on the streets, the $1, $2 given to them is going to glue and Government is trying to regulate that right now.”
One of the issues that has been identified, she said, involved parents leaving the country for the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme and children being sent to live in urban areas with their grandparents or other relatives.
In the face of this, it is encouraging to know that the ministry is working with the Ministry of Youth and police to build trust with children and work on rehabilitation.
The ministry, Ms Kiran said, was also working with other ministries and agencies to engage children in vocational programs.
“We do know that it is possible for children to get off the substances and they have been able to find themselves.
“I know some boys and girls who are very talented in music and sports so we need to get some of these things into their lives but it is a tough battle.”
We are encouraged by the concerted effort to bring about change in the lives of children impacted by this shocking behaviour.
There will be many questions. What have we as a nation come to when our children engage in such behaviour?
We, understandably, are not immune to the woes of the world, especially when it comes to drugs and alcohol. So the next question would be, how are we addressing this as parents and guardians?
The State has outlined a plan. The challenge we have is making our position as parents and guardians clear, and being part of the solution.
How are we impacting the minds of our young ones? It is sad that some of our children are engaging in such harmful behaviour.
The key though is with us as stakeholders to provide the motivation to do the right thing.
