RISE IN DRUG USE SHOWS GROWING SOCIAL PROBLEMS

Revelations at a parliamentary commission charged with investigating
rising crime among youths has shown there is an alarming increase in
drug addiction in Turkey

A Green Crescent report submitted to the commission shows that in the
past three years heroin addiction has risen by 100 percent and use of
ecstasy has increased 300 percent.

These are shocking revelations that show the sorrowful state of
affairs where moral values are being systematically destroyed in
Turkey in the name of fighting religious fundamentalism

Turkey has 20 million young people, which means we are a youthful
country. This can be a great advantage for Turkey if the youth can be
molded in the right manner. But if we cannot teach our children the
moral values that have made our nation very rich in the past we will
be facing a losing battle.

Let us be very frank. Many things done under the pretext of fighting
religious fundamentalism have ruined our education system and opened
up our youth to drug abuse and other crimes.

Experts agree today that merging primary schools and secondary schools
under one roof and forcing young children to live together with older
kids was a great mistake. Our schools are full of examples of older
children bullying and even sexually assaulting younger ones.

But this was done all in the name of shutting down secondary schools
where religious education was given. Because these schools could not
have primary schools they were closed. The military, which staged a
postmodern coup in 1997, felt the move was needed to end the influence
of these schools and thus prevent religious fundamentalism.

Such schools were not hubs of fundamentalism. They were places where
children were given moral education besides learning science and
literature. What is sad is that with the closing of these schools
other forms of religious education were also targeted. So we have been
forced to raise a new generation that lacks moral education. So this
has also contributed to the decadence of our society and the spread of
drug abuse.

Besides all this we see with great sadness that drug pushers are hard
at work around our schools and it is shocking that no one really
prevents them.

There are even claims that these drug pushers receive help from some
of those who should be locking them up.

It is now up to our authorities as well as the families to eradicate
the conditions that make drug abuse so easy. Families have to
carefully monitor their children and prevent their children from
falling into the hands of drug sellers.