An worthy initiative all must back

AMERICAN hard rock band Guns n Roses once lamented the loss of “sex, drugs and rock n roll” in their song of the same name.
“Whatever happened to sex, drugs n’ rock n’ roll? Now we just have AIDS, crack and techno” is a line from their hit song.
Sex, drugs and rock n roll is associated with the lifestyle of rock stars. The three things are stereotypically connected, and none can be separated from the others.
Papua New Guinea does not have superstars and the mega-rich, who indulge in lavish and often tragic lifestyles.
While the country has a long way to get to that stage, these dreaded issues have already reared their ugly heads in our society.
Children of this tropical paradise are now growing up in a murky environment of unsafe sex, illicit drugs and alcohol abuse.
And the sad part is that very little is being done to curb the growing addiction among our young people.
Not a week goes by that we do not hear of young people getting into trouble with the police over alcohol and drug-related offences.
Occasionally, we get reports of tragedies that resulted from illicit drug and alcohol abuse.
Therefore, it is most encouraging to note that police will soon embark on a major awareness programme to educate school children and young people in Gerehu, National Capital District, about the effects of illicit drugs and alcohol abuse. Gerehu police station commander Hohoves Kora is at the helm of the campaign, which will start next week with schools and later extend to other parts of the National Capital District’s largest suburb, including the notorious settlements.
Kora says the programme is part of his action plan for February to June and will initially focus on the national and secondary high schools.
The Gerehu Secondary School, Port Moresby National High School, Luanga Secondary School and Kopkop College will be visited after arrangements are made with the schools and the NCD metropolitan commander and superintendent of operations.
Kora says his policemen will be talking to students on the dangers of drugs and alcohol as well as disciplinary issues.
“The purpose of the awareness programme is to instil in the students the sense of commitment and discipline and for them to become agents of change in their communities.”
Kora says the awareness will be extended to youths and people living in the settlements within the suburb.
“All settlements starting from the Gerehu Earth Station right through to Tete settlement will be visited and we will be talking to the community there.”
The programme is in line with a call made earlier this year by NCD operations commander Supt Perou N’Dranou for all police station commanders to initiate and implement action plans for the first half of this year to prepare for major events that will be taking place in the capital city.
Kora’s initiative and awareness campaign will be welcomed by parents and residents of Gerehu, many of whom have been victims of violent and criminal acts caused by young people under the influence of alcohol and illicit drugs.
Many parents have experienced much pain and suffering as a result of illicit drugs and alcohol abuse by their children.
Several years ago, a young man was allegedly stabbed to death by his girlfriend during a drinking binge.
The circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear to this day and have caused great pain and suffering among his family but there is little doubt the tragedy was a direct result of alcohol abuse.
Gerehu has had its fair share of tragedies and will continue to see more lives lost until the community gets the clear message that illicit drugs and alcohol abuse are life-threatening and must not be condoned.
If police officer Kora can stand up and yell out this message to the community, the rest of the people in Gerehu, especially parents and guardians, should do likewise. The success of this campaign could be the start of a nation-wide war on drug and alcohol abuse.
A concerted effort and cooperation by the community are needed to make this awareness programme a success.