AMED - While the age of drug use in Amed dropped below 12, 2 thousand 173 people were tried in 2023. Amed Bar Association Vice President Mehdi Özdemir said that drug trafficking has spread to schools and preventive work is essential.

 

The "Combating Substance Use" report, made public by the Amed(Diyarbakır) Bar Association on September 15, revealed the current state of drug use in the region. According to the report prepared by the bar, focusing on the dates between January 1 and September 9, judicial proceedings were taken against 15 children in 2020, 8 in 2021 and 16 in 2022 in the records regarding children under the age of 12. Although there is a decrease in numerical data as of 2021, there is a 100 percent increase in 2022.

 

INCREASE IN DATA

 

Highlights of the report are as follows:

 

* In 2023, lawyers were appointed by the Diyarbakır Bar Association Presidency for a total of 2,173 people on trial within the scope of the crime of "Manufacture and Trafficking of Drugs or Stimulating Substances" in Diyarbakır province.

 

* Among those on trial, there are 7 under the age of 12, 2 between the ages of 12-15, 27 between the ages of 15-18, 479 (29 of whom are women) between the ages of 18-25, 1,617 (75 of whom are women) between the ages of 25-60, 60 There are 41 people (5 of whom are women) over the age of 10.

 

* In 2023, a total of 291 lawyers were appointed by the Diyarbakır Bar Association Presidency for the crime of "Purchasing, Accepting or Possessing Drugs or Stimulants for Use" or "Using Drugs or Stimulants" in Diyarbakır province. Among those on trial: 1 under the age of 12, 6 between the ages of 12-15, 43 between the ages of 15-18, 96 between the ages of 18-25 (3 of whom are women), 140 between the ages of 25-60 (6 of whom are women), and over 60 years of age. There are 5 people (1 of whom is a woman).

 

* In 2023, Diyarbakır Bar Association Presidency appointed lawyers for a total of 27 people who were tried for the crime of "Facilitating the Use of Drugs or Stimulants" in Diyarbakır province. Among those on trial, there are 2 people between the ages of 15 and 18, 6 people between the ages of 18 and 25 (6 of whom are men), and 19 people between the ages of 25 and 60 (19 of whom are men).

 

  * As of 01.01.2023 - 09.09.2023, the total number of lawyers assigned is 1,491. 8 of these people are children under the age of 12, and 80 of them are between the ages of 12-18. The remaining people include adults over the age of 18.

 

Amed Bar Association Vice President Lawyer Mehdi Özdemir spoke about the report, which also includes calls for international agreements and an effective fight against drugs.

 

CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS WERE NOT INCLUDED

 

Drawing attention that the production and use of drugs has become widespread, Özdemir said: "An increase in drug use was observed even during periods of intense closure such as the pandemic. Young people are the obligation of the state within the scope of Article 58 of the Constitution. In order for the state to fulfill these obligations, the High Council for Combating Addiction (UNHCR) is currently carried out under the coordination of 11 ministries under the coordination of the Vice President. This article includes the Deputy Ministers of 11 ministries and various state institutions, including the Vice President of Religious Affairs, in the Board for Combating Substance Abuse, which is a sub-board of UNHCR. However, we have also determined that non-governmental organizations working in the field of health in this institution, where the Vice President of Religious Affairs is located, and non-governmental organizations specialized in this field that can take part in the fight against drug addiction, are not included in the scope of this study.”

 

THE REPORT WILL BE SENT TO UNHCR

 

Drawing attention that substance use in Amed is at a high level for children under the age of 12 and that preventive activities are insufficient, Özdemir continued as follows: "The situation is similar for other cities in the region. As Diyarbakır Bar Association, we know that the data we present is minimal and concrete data, and that much more of this data is actually available in terms of files processed in the courthouse because we all know that people's practice of hiring private lawyers is common within the scope of criminal investigations and that these numbers can increase significantly. In other words, these data aim to provide us with the basis for carrying out the preventive activities in Article 58 of the Constitution and the work to be carried out in the fight against substance addiction. We will present the report to UNHCR and in this sense, we will make demands for effective work to be carried out in order to carry out preventive activities."

 

Özdemir reminded that non-governmental organizations should be actively involved in the fight against drugs.