First rehab clinic just for women
Medical specialists behind new treatment centre say it is needed to cope with the rise in female addiction
A women’s drug rehabilitation centre will open in Dubai to meet an expected increase in the number of addicts.
The Erada Rehabilitation and Treatment Centre, which opened in January, said yesterday that a centre for women is being planned.
Drug deaths are on the rise in the UAE, up from 4.5 per million in 2013 to 6.1 per million in 2015, and changes to the anti-narcotics law last year mean more people will now be sent to rehab as opposed to jail.
Dr Abdulqadar Al Khayyat, chairman of the Erada centre, said: “A rehabilitation centre similar to Erada is needed for females and boys below the age of 16.”
Sami Hassan, spokesman for the centre, said: “It is the job of Erada to help people get beyond their addiction and find a new way to live their lives ... to help controlled substance abusers find their path to sobriety and lead a normal life.”
A drug rehabilitation centre for women is to be built in Dubai to answer a growing problem.
The Erada Rehabilitation and Treatment Centre was opened in Al Khawaneej in January and it has treated about 80 male drug addicts.
A change to the anti-narcotics law last year meant that the focus is switching away from lengthy custodial sentences in favour of rehabilitation of drug offenders. The law also stipulated that more rehab centres should be opened and they should be working in partnership, an example of which is an agreement signed between the National Rehabilitation Centre in Abu Dhabi and the Erada centre last month.
“A rehabilitation centre similar to Erada is needed for females and boys below the age of 16,” said Dr Abdulqadar Al Khayyat, chairman of the Erada centre.
“Currently, clinics in different parts of the emirate contact us and a specialised team from our centre will get in touch with female patients.”
Judge Hatem Fouad Aly, of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, visiting the men’s centre yesterday, agreed that a facility for women was necessary.
“There’s an increase in the number of women and children consuming drugs. Therefore, it’s important to address this category of society in the treatment process,” he said.
No details of when the centre would open were available.
The most recent Ministry of Interior figures showed that drug deaths were on the rise in the UAE, up from 4.5 out of every million in 2013 to 6.1 million in 2015, although it was still comparatively low to some western countries, such as Scotland, which had 149.1 per million in 2015.
“The [current] centre offers its services to both Emiratis and expatriates in the UAE and greater region. It can accommodate up to 1,200 people and is supplied with a team of specialists in treatment of drug addiction and psychological rehabilitation to help them to return to their true path,” said Dr Al Khayyat.
He said the centre also plays a role in informing the community about the damaging effects of drug use and how to tackle the problem.
Drug users usually contact Erada through its campaigns and activities, said Sami Hassan, director of media relations at the centre, which caters for 16 to 38-year-olds.
“Employees at the centre came up with a technique to help drug users speak openly about their situation. They distribute envelopes to people participating in the campaign and by the end [of the campaign] we collect these envelopes. Many times, we found names and numbers of people who were wishing to be rid of their drug addiction,” he said.
Mr Hassan said that drug dealers are using new channels, such as social media, to promote their wares, and that this makes it harder for authorities to stop them.
“Drug traffickers are using Instagram by posting a picture of the drug, requesting the buyer to send an amount of money through money exchange and then informing the buyer that a drug substance was delivered to a certain area,” he said.
Judge Aly agreed that online platforms were posing new challenges in the war on drugs.
“This is one of the challenges that makes it hard to arrest a drug trafficker using online platform,” he said.
“Among the methods used to promote drugs is using online games to attract youngsters to consume drugs. Drug traffickers are continuously using new ways attract more buyers.”
With the number of drug users increasing, Mr Hassan said that it only makes the work of the Erada centre more pertinent.
“Workers at the centre are aware that the worst possible scenario for those suffering from drug addiction is struggling alone with the rehabilitation phase,” he said.
“Without any outside help, these individuals remain chained to their environment, which unfortunately makes it difficult for them to resist temptation. Therefore, we work together at the centre to help controlled substance abusers find their path to sobriety and lead a normal life.”