Challenges faced by the Egyptian society

& facing problems of drugs & addiction

·        The problem of spread of drugs in Egypt is one of the main societal problems, especially after studies has shown that addiction starts at 12 years of age, and in some cases, addiction starts at 9 years of age (we noticed this phenomenon through children without shelter coming to hosting center of Caritas-Egypt in Giza, beside pyramids area, and the children coming to the center are aged 5 – 16 years.

·        Alcohol and drugs are materials that cause many problems in most of the world countries and they cause unlimited human and economic losses because they destroy the human being psychologically, socially and physically.

·        Due to political conditions through which Egypt passes since the 25^th of January 2011 and collapse of security channels, drug smuggling mafias intensified their activities and trade.

·        Usually, drug addiction starts at youth in the Egyptian society. One the main reasons are pressure from friends on this person. There are also two important elements which are curiosity and easy response with friends. The person may consume drugs for adaptation or dealing with pressure resulting from many factors, like family disputes, problems of social relations and unemployment. When the person starts taking drugs, the factor that will push him to continue is habit.

·    We mean by Addiction continuing taking certain substances or performing some activities for a long period in order to enter in a state of ecstasy or to remove sorrow and depression. Addiction means Physiological Dependence، on chemical substances that lead the person to a state in which he cannot resist abstain from taking these substances. Among substances susceptible of addiction alcohol, tobacco, nicotine, many types of calming drugs, hashish, opium, cocaine, heroin, etc.

·        There are no clear references to know the history of knowing opium by Egyptians. Concerning cannabis (hashish), historians say it entered Egypt since the midst of the 12^th century, in the era of Ayyubides, attributed to Saladin el Ayyubi, which ruled Egypt during the 12^th & 13^th centuries. It came to us from Syria and it was widespread since it entered to the Egyptian territory. It has been subject of controversy since this time between acceptance and refusal. Rulers of Egypt knew the social harms of this drug at this time, and authorities started to launch campaigns against it and its addicts. However, this policy of resistance did not last on the same rhythm. It was sometime active and passive other times. Unfortunately, drugs market has been activated, as I said, since the events of 25^th of January 2011 revolution.

·        Types of drugs in the Egyptian market have developed by the appearance of heroin and cocaine since 1980, which pushed the authorities to take the necessary measures to face the offer and demand by all means. The National Council for fighting drugs and treating addiction was founded on 1986.

How can the Egyptian society face the problem of drugs:

1-     Facing the offer:

The confrontation of the offer by the government is divided in 3 main fronts:

1-1            Efforts of fight:

The general administration for fighting drugs is considered the pivot authority in Egypt to organize efforts of fight. It performs its action in coordination with some governmental authorities, namely frontiers guards (Ministry of Defense), custom-house (Ministry of Finances), central administration for pharmaceutical affairs (Ministry of Health), general administration for social defense (Ministry of Social solidarity). It also cooperates with some departments of the Ministry of Interior, namely central security forces, police academy (unit of security and guard dogs), ports security authority, general security authority (central office of international crime police), general administration of water areas police, and cooperates with UN organizations concerned with fighting drugs, and coordinates with the Interpol.

1-2            The law:

Field legislation is one of the most important fields to face drug smuggling and addiction, as it sanctions acts related to this activity as an essential dissuasive force to avoid this danger..

1-3            International and regional agreements:

International, regional and bilateral agreements are considered mechanisms to be added to local laws, in order to enable the government to control the problem of drugs in the country. As the years pass, the number and strictness of these agreements increased.

2           Facing the demand:

Confrontation of demand of drugs in Egypt by the government is divided in three fronts:

·        The law.

·        Care services.

·        Sensitization efforts.

·        Main factors affecting drug addiction in the Egyptian society:

-         Family collapse:

Statistics related to social and demographic conditions in Egypt show there are about 4.5 million divorced women who had about 7.5 million girls and boys. Egyptian population is about 85 million people, 40 % of them are under 18 years.

-         Low income:

3            % of Egyptian population live with less than 1 US$ per day (about 600 Egyptian pounds). 45 % of the population live with less than 2 US$ per day (about 12 Egyptian pounds). Egypt is the 111 among 177 countries, according to the human development criteria of UN development Program.

-         Lack of discipline in the family:

The human being needs a family, whether he is a child, a young, an adult or an elder. The family is the most important factor of social education affecting the personality of the individual and orientation of his behavior.

Family life may face problems leading to psychic troubles, disintegration, and felony. The most important examples of familial problems are:

·              Troubled relations between parents.

·              Addiction.

·              Nervous parents.

·              Bad model.

·              Bad social education.

·              Troubled relations between parents and children.

·              Lack of respect of parents.

·              Troubled relations between brothers.

·              Position of the son in the family.

·              Children of ex-husband or ex-wife.

·              Half-brothers.

·              Orphans.

·              Problem of working woman.

·              Having girls and no boys.

·              Problems of relatives.

·              Bad familial adaptation.

·              Family disintegration leading to divorce.

·              Smoking cigarettes before 12 years of age.

-         Smoking is one of the most important reasons of precocious death. Despite the enormous harm caused by tobacco for the human health, tobacco societies are still strongly marketing their production, especially in underdeveloped countries. Among the main reasons of starting smoking the pressure exerted by children at school age, being affected by publicity, believing that smoking is virility and modernity. However, when the person starts to smoke, he soon becomes addicted, because tobacco contains nicotine which is a drug causing severe addiction if the person is a heavy smoker.

Being friend of addicts:

·        Friendships are influencing factors in human relations. Among cases coming to our centers of rehabilitation of addicts, most of them said they knew the drug through addicted friends.

Bad conditions in work environment:

·        Profession and work have intimate relation with development and maturity of the personality. Choosing a certain work is related to our own. The individual passes most of his life at work, he develops it. Work gives a meaning to life and gives to the human being a social value, as he assumes his most important role in life. Unfortunately, these bases do not match with options of the human being, especially the youth in Egypt. The objective is ensuring financial resource and not love of work. We indicate hereby that unemployment rate in Egypt surpassed 20 % for the category of youth able to work and produce.

Magdy Garas

November 2011