The Tribune

By LAMECH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

ljohnson@tribunemedia.net

IN THE face of rising levels of substance use, violence and bullying among secondary school students, the Bahamas National Anti-Drug Secretariat is calling for the creation or reinforcement of programmes specifically focused on tackling these problems.

The unit, which comes under the Ministry of National Security, released the results of its 2011 Secondary School Drug Prevalence Survey, which showed an increase in students consuming alcohol and smoking marijuana since 2008.

The report, which canvassed 2,634 students from 44 private and public schools, also noted that fighting and bullying were still common and not on the decline.

“Overall,” the report said, “the survey shows that problem use of alcohol and drugs and engaging in acts that could lead to violence and unintentional injuries are not rare among youth.

“Potentially harmful consequences such as smoking marijuana, binge drinking and becoming drunk, fighting, weapon carrying and bullying are not uncommon occurrences.

“Combined with the fact that many of our teens are exposed to less than ideal family settings, which all contribute to a relatively high level of mental or psychological challenges, there is an urgent need for programmes to focus on reducing these harmful consequences.”

In 2011, some 21.4 per cent of secondary school students were physically attacked one or more times within the 12 months prior to taking the survey.

“Male students (26 per cent) were significantly more likely than female students (17.2 per cent) to have been physically attacked during the past 12 months” the report said. As for bullying, in the 17 per cent of cases, it most often involved being hit, kicked, pushed, shoved around or locked indoors, whereas male students (23 per cent) were twice as likely as the female students (12.3 per cent) to be bullied in this manner.

The survey also sought to determine if the students had ever been emotionally, verbally, physically or sexually abused.

“A total of 43.8 per cent of all students had been emotionally or verbally abused in the past, while 21.2 per cent had been physically abused and nine per cent sexually abused,” the report said, adding that female students were “significantly more likely than male students to have been emotionally, physically and sexually abused.”

NADS recommended that policies be created to prevent the sale of alcohol to minors, and ensure “every adolescent with a substance abuse problem can receive treatment via a school-based programme or a good referral system.”

It was also suggested that substance abuse prevention programme be implemented and/or strengthened “beginning in the primary schools, with reinforcements continuing throughout the students’ school careers and ensuring that programmes are age appropriate and address all drugs.”

Regarding violence, it was recommended that programmes for teens be strengthened or established that “address decision making, the fact that actions have consequences, goal setting and conflict resolution.”

A system to facilitate the identification of troubled children, “such as those with problems at home, in school, those showing signs of abuse” was also recommended.