From Maldives to Bangkok… Dubai Police help bust drug gangs

The General Directorate for Drug Control of Dubai Police received many letters of thanks for its contribution in helping foil at least five cases of cocaine smuggling.

The suspects were attempting to smuggle drugs from Latin America to South Africa, Maldives, Singapore and Thailand.

A total of about 13kgs of cocaine were seized from the five cases.

In the first operation a woman coming from Cape Town was caught. She was hiding at least 5kg drugs in several bags.

In the second case, the lead given by Dubai Police helped arrest a suspect at Durban airport, who possessed 400 grams of cocaine.

In the third operation, the suspect was arrested in Maldives and 3.2 kg cocaine was seized from the suitcase.

The fourth case was busted in Bangkok airport following information provided by Dubai Police. The suspect was caught with 1.4 kg of cocaine.

Two others from South Africa were also arrested.

The fifth operation led to the arrest of the suspect at Singapore airport.

The accused along with a woman was held with 3 kg of cocaine. They had hid the drugs in metal pipes.

Source: http://www.emirates247.com/news/emirates/from-maldives-to-bangkok-dubai-police-help-bust-drug-gangs-2013-09-14-1.520987

Vice President Urges Not to Criminalize Drug Users

Vice President Dr Mohamed Waheed has said, in the Maldives, convincing people that drug use was a social and a medical problem remains a huge task.

Noting that, although it was easy to see drug use as a criminal issue, he said “if you really want to be serious and help this people to recover and to be reintegrated in to our communities, then we have to see from a social perspective.”

He made the remarks at the opening ceremony of South Asia Regional Training on Treatment and Rehabilitation for Treatment Professionals organized jointly by Colombo Plan, US Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs and UNODC.

Speaking on the drug issue in the South Asia region, the Vice President emphasized that drug use was directly related social, political and economic issues in the country.

He said drug use has become an increasingly “important issue in our region and public policy has a lot to do with that – distribution of wealth, condition of poverty, degradation and social marginalization all contribute to worsening drug situation.”

“Wherever it is, people resort to drugs because they want to escape from pain, from poverty, from suffering,” he added.

In his remarks this morning, the Vice President referred to the recommendations of a groundbreaking report on global drug situation by the Global Commission on Drug Policy.

He said the report that calls for major reforms of global drug prohibition regime, also echoed the calls for strengthening of services for health and treatment of drug users, which he said was the most important recommendation of the report.

The training workshop that began today in Bandos Island Resort and Spa will be held from 13 to 22 June.

Source: http://www.presidencymaldives.gov.mv

Ogilvy Action authors landmark campaign in the Maldives

“Dear Ogilvy Team – on the way to the launch ceremony now and everything looks great. The posters especially look incredible. So large! Thanks for all your hard work, over the past few days. Cheers, Sherine.”

That was the moment of truth the Ogilvy Action Team in Sri Lanka was waiting for. Almost two years ago, Ogilvy was requested by the UNICEF team in the Maldives to conceptualize a proactive campaign, in order to create mass awareness on the issue of drug abuse in the Republic of the Maldives. ‘Kill Brown’ was born as a result of this request.

While both teams were excited about this initial concept, we soon realized that the sensitivities on the issue required a much more lifestyle oriented, in-your-face approach, if the campaign was to make an impact in the Maldives.

As the first step to the strategy, Ogilvy captured and produced a compelling documentary, post the ‘Revival Concert’, which gave a platform for the recovering addicts to express themselves on an open forum. This experience gave the Ogilvy team the opportunity to interact and be involved with both addicts and recovering addicts in order to understand the deep emotions they were grappling with in the face of the scourge the Maldivian society was trying to rid itself from.

UNICEF, in keeping with the UN regulations opened the campaign bid to interested local and international advertising agencies in order to pick the right campaign partner to plan, strategise, produce and implement this very important Social Marketing campaign, which was incidentally the first of its kind.

Ken Maskall, UNICEF Representative in the Maldives, gave leadership to the project while his able communications team passionately supported the cause. Key partners for the campaign were many, who played an equally active part, in order to make sure that no stone was left unturned. The National Narcotics Control Bureau (NNCB) and Journey – a self help group of recovering addicts were the most involved in the development of the campaign. Other partners included were Dhiraagu – the premier telecom provider to the Maldives (incidentally another client of Ogilvy Action) and TV Maldives (TVM).

After winning the bid, Ogilvy spent a couple of days in the Maldives moderating a workshop of many different input groups such as recovering addicts, Journey members, students, affected

family members, NNCB representatives, the Police force, TV Maldives, government officials, representatives from Dhiraagu and of course the team from UNICEF amongst others. This was one of the most memorable workshops the Ogilvy Team has ever been a part of. Emotions were high as the group listened to candid and truthful moments shared by recovering addicts and affected family members.

The passion and the energy that flowed in the room was electric. It is no wonder then, that at the end of a four-day strenuous workshop, the strong and emotive call to action campaign line was born. The beauty of this concept was that it was suggested by the participants themselves, after they went through the rigorous idea generating process initiated by the Ogilvy team.

Thinking, discussing and conceptualizing extended late into the nights. The Ogilvy Team spent many a night and evenings mingling and hanging out with diversely effected groups in order to understand the psyche of the victims just to make sure the authored campaign was going to create the best impact for the Maldives.

The ‘Wake Up’ campaign had to touch and speak to many different audiences in many differing tones. That was the most difficult task as most campaigns would generally have one core target group to be addressed. The different audiences spanned from addicts to recovering addicts to vulnerable kids, to youth to affected families.

The initial concepts were tested for acceptance and validity amongst the target groups prior to finalizing the campaign.

The campaign had many legs too. TV, print, radio, testimonials, brochures, posters, stickers, coasters, bill boards and most importantly, a website that was inaugurated by none other than the President of the Maldives himself. Each of these collaterals had to be created for each of the differing audiences. This was a task by itself. Of course all material was created in Dhivehi!

The TV commercials numbering six and documentaries numbering eight were all shot on location in the Maldives, covering Male and other neighbouring islands with maximum support and corporation by UNICEF and the Journey partners.

A comprehensive situation analysis in the form of a publication completed the campaign materials for this extremely crucial project. The input and involvement from the UNICEF communication team was immeasurable.

The effect of all the hard work, commitment and anxiety of developing a campaign of this nature can be measured only after the campaign truly runs its course in the planned manner. We can’t wait to see the impact!

Source: The Sunday Times By Sandya Salgado

Help Clean Drug Addicts From Maldives

Distribute this poster to all your contacts.
Together we can break this cycle of addiction. Please write your comment.

Source: wakeup.mv

Maldives launches its first national campaign on drug prevention

A nationwide campaign on drug prevention and promoting recovery among addicts entitled “Wake Up” is being launched today by the National Narcotics Bureau, the non-governmental organization Journey and UNICEF.

Official estimates put heroin addicts in Maldives to at least 3,000, or one per cent of the population. In the capital city, Male, where 77 per cent of the country’s addicts live, it is believed that some 10 per cent of youth are using drugs.

The “Wake Up” campaign, which was started by a group of Maldivian youth, emphasizes the importance of community support and acceptance for addicts to help break the stigma and promote recovery. The public - particularly parents and teachers - are encouraged to speak openly about the drugs and the consequences of drug abuse. “Wake Up” messages will be distributed today through billboards, posters, brochures, TV and radio with the help of partners such as Dhiraagu and TV Maldives - around Male’ and the atolls. In addition, a special campaign website www.wakeup.mv has been created to help children, youth and parents learn more about the drug issue and where to go for help.

“Drug addiction can happen to anyone, regardless of their age, gender, economic or social status,” said UNICEF Representative Ken Maskall. “Many people don’t realize that addiction is really a chronic, progressive condition that requires professional treatment, help and support. For a small country like the Maldives, if one member suffers, we all end up suffering – especially children. It is in the interest of each and every one of us to take action now and to say no to drugs.”

Heroin, one of the most highly addictive and destructive drugs in the world is the most frequently abused drug in the Maldives, and there are increasing reports of injection drug use. Although the Maldives has kept its HIV infection to a low rate, the increase in injection drug use makes the Maldives vulnerable to the spread of HIV and Hepatitis C.

“Based on what we have found from the past one year and a half, I can very clearly say that more than 10 per cent of the youth population is using drugs,” said Rado, Founder of Journey, an NGO run entirely by recovering addicts to provide aftercare, support and peer counseling services for other recovering addicts.

“Throughout the world, the average recovery rate is about five per cent. But here in the Maldives, with all the tremendous efforts by the Government and the civil societies, we haven’t come anywhere close to that,” continued Rado. “We are living in a small society like this, we can go out and reach anywhere in this capital within five minutes, but still we are not able to reach those active addicts who need help.”

Together with the "Wake Up" campaign, a one-stop community centre for drug prevention, recovery and aftercare is also being launched today. The NNCB Community Service Centre in Male’ will provide basic counseling, peer support and rehabilitation services for addicts as part of the community rehabilitation programmes. Specialists, counselors, social workers and volunteers of the centre will organize aftercare programmes such as individual counseling, family/group therapy, as well as opportunities for vocational training to help addicts, especially the young people, to recover from drug dependency.

“It is time we all woke up as the future of our beautiful nation depends on it,” said Minister of Gender and Family, Aishath Mohamed Didi. “Become educated and aware of the harmful effects of drugs and the benefits of a drug free lifestyle.”

About UNICEF:
UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.

For further information, detailed programme and interviews please contact:
Ali Shareef (NNCB) Tel: 7751162 Email: prevention@nncb.gov.mv
Mohamed Rashid (Rado) (Journey) Tel: 7754609 Email: journeyngo@gmail.com
Sherine Guirguis (UNICEF) Tel: 2906977 Email: sguirguis@unicef.org
Mohamed Naeem (UNICEF) Tel: 7783721 Email: mnaeem@unicef.org

Source:

Rising drug abuse in Maldives paradise

The Maldives, known as a holiday haven for the rich and famous, is grappling with a growing drug abuse problem among its young people including pre-teens.

Around 20% of the island nation’s residents under the age of 15 are using banned substances, according to the National Narcotics Control Bureau.

Bored and restless, youngsters, who comprise more than 40% of the population of 300,000, are increasingly turning to drugs, health workers say.

“It’s a tragic social crisis,” said Aminath Hamzoon, a trainee peer educator who works with youngsters trying to kick drug habits.

“The problem has escalated due to boredom, peer pressure, poor employment prospects and overcrowding on the islands,” she said at this after-care peer support training camp on Vilingili Island close to the capital Male.

There are an estimated 5,000 users in densely crowded Male, with the island’s narcotics bureau reporting cases of children as young as nine experimenting with heroin.

The UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, estimates the average age is 12 for first time drug users in the Maldives.

“Unlike most countries coping with a drug problem, heroin is the drug of first use for many young Maldivians here, which leaves the country uniquely vulnerable to widespread addiction,” Ken Maskall, UNICEF chief in the Maldives, told AFP.

The problem flourishes despite a growing tourism industry which has made the Maldives, with a population of 300,000 mainly Sunni Muslims, the richest nation in South Asia. Per capita income is 2,674 dollars.

Experts say narcotics are easily smuggled into the Maldives which has 1,192 islands clustered into 20 atolls that straddle international sea-lanes.

“The problem is so acute that every Maldivian family has at least one member who is a drug addict. Drugs have wiped off about two generations from our country,” said human rights activist Jennifer Latheef.

She said the government’s harsh approach to drugs has filled Maldives’ jails, but failed to curb the number of addicts.

“Street crime is on the rise, as addicts look for means to supplement their addiction,” Latheef said.

The opposition Islamic Democratic Party is now calling for tougher sentences for dealers and users and is pushing the government to execute drug smugglers.

But recovering addict Ahamed Shah, 28, who has spent time in a state-run rehabilitation clinic, said authorities need to take a compassionate approach.

Recovering addicts are stigmatised, making employment difficult, Shah said.

And counsellors like Ashfaq Latheef, attached to an after-care drug centre called Journey, said more than 80% of recovering addicts relapse after rehabilitation.

“Maldives is such a small place, everyone knows each other. It’s hard to avoid friends who lead you back into drugs,” said Ashfaq, a former addict who like many others started with cannabis oil and moved onto heroin.

An increased number of heroin users has also raised concerns about the spread of deadly diseases. UNICEF’s Maskall said addicts who were switching from smoking to injecting drugs risked contracting and transmitting HIV/AIDS, whose cases remain low in number in the Maldives.

In 2005, Italian footballer and UNICEF Ambassador Paolo Maldini kicked-off a nationwide football tournament, titled Unity Cup, advocating a drug-free and healthy lifestyle for young people.

Promoted by the government, the local football association and UNICEF, the tournament is in its second year with organisers hoping more youngsters will turn to sport and similar activities rather than drugs.

Source: Sunday Times