By: Saidu Jalloh (Intern)
The Minister of Social Welfare, Madam Melrose Karminty on 29th August 2023 in a press briefing organized by the Ministry of information and Civic Education reaffirmed that government would not criminalized Kush Victims but would take them to rehabilitation centers for proper psycho social cancelling.
In her opening statement, the Minister stated that Sierra Leone is currently grappled with the Kush menace which has destroyed a lot of young people with brighter future, and that the Ministry of Social Welfare like any other Ministry is concerned and overwhelmed by the lot of concerns raised by citizens and government to tackle this national menace (Kush). The victimization and criminalization of Kush Victims is something that must be treated seriously.
“They are not supposed to be criminalized but must be taken to rehabilitation centers,” the Minister asserts.
“Even though, it is very unfortunate that this country does not have a government rehab center, but as Ministry we are taking it upon ourselves to build one. The Ministry has joined all other Ministry to fight this Kush fight with all seriousness. We are establishing a rehabilitation center for Kush Victims and other drugs addict,” she reveals.
However, the Minister also expressed displeasure towards community mob justice and other treatment meted out at Kush Victims. Rehabilitation and reintegration should be the treatment those victims should receive. “Many of them are suffering from psychological problem, stress and unemployment which may have led them to drug abuse, and some caution must be taken when dealing with drug victims,” she explained.
She further that, taking Kush victims to Correctional Centers will arm them more in taking Kush and other drug related substance as there will be no fear in them. Psycho social aspect and counselling of Kush Victims is important than taking them to semi-prison.
“In our cabinet meeting, His Excellency, the President didn’t want us to criminalized the Kush fight, but want us to fight it just as we did with Ebola and coronavirus,” She added.
Succinctly, the Minister of Social Welfare says psycho social workers have already been sent to counseling Kush Victims in various places where the reside in the community and do an assessment on those that will be quickly taken to rehabilitation center and later reintegrate them in the community.
In addressing the issue of victimization and stigmatization, she called for community engagement and sensitization to be done in those communities because of these Kush Victims have been stigmatized and, became afraid to return to their communities which have led them to be on the street begging and nodding.
“We have the infrastructure and the right people to begin this counselling but we want to engage with law enforcement agency to profile some of these victims so that we could know their whereabouts. Some of them didn’t even know where their families are. We have to help trace them and reunite them,” the Minister said.
In addition, she called on inter religious council to join the fight in sensitizing people in their places of worship and spread the dangers of drug abuse and effect it will have on society and the country at large.
On the contrary, the Minister of Internal Affairs, David Taluva said that taking them to Correctional Centres is not criminalization but rather rehabilitation. “Since there is no government rehabilitation center, we have decided to take them to the correctional center for counselling, habilitating and reintegrating them after some time,” Maj Rtd Gen Taluva asserted.
Conclusively, he said the supply chain and complains file by community people is also another important aspect to aid this fight. We need community people to report anyone that they know of selling Kush and “we as a government we try hard to cut the supply chain of Kush in the country,” he ended.