Addiction blights Afghan refugees

Massive rise in the use of heroin

By Rahimullah Yusufzai in Peshawar

Hundreds of Afghan refugees in the Pakistani city of Peshawar are said to have turned to heroin to forget miseries caused by 20 years of war.

A survey team of the United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) interviewed 150 addicts living in Peshawar on the streets, under the bridges and in graveyards.

It found that 46% of the addicts are forced to live outside their homes due to family pressure and the abhorrence of the general public.

The survey cited depression, sadness and unemployment as the main causes of falling prey to the white killer, as heroin is known.

Half use heroin three times a day

Other reasons included the influence of friends, family members and colleagues, as well as ignorance about adverse affects of heroin.

According to the survey, 70% of the addicts in Peshawar are illiterate, 50% are married and have children and 57% are unemployed.

No support

Of the 150 addicts who were interviewed, nearly half used heroin three times a day or more.

More than half wanted to give up heroin but were unable to do so due to a lack of funds and support to start a new life.

The survey said nearly two-thirds of all addicts reported feelings of alienation from their families and community.

It cited reports of a significant number of the addicts dying each year from intense winter cold, summer heat or road accidents.

It said many of them suffered from drug-related infections and illnesses due to their unhygienic living conditions.

The UNDCP survey also referred to an informal study carried out in 1998 by a drug treatment centre in Peshawar, which showed that 829 out of the 1,892 heroin addicts in the city were Afghan refugees.