By Sandra Machima
THE community in Lusaka’s Garden compound are seeking the Government’s intervention in addressing the illicit activities among youths engaged in smoking and excessive alcohol drinking.
A community-led group from various organisations such as Tikule Pamodzi Foundation and Zuka Cholinga, among others, have echoed their call for the Government to expedite the process of enacting the Tobacco Control Bill to safeguard the future of the younger generation.
The community, through The Master Chimbala Foundation, has appealed to President Hakainde Hichilema to come to the aid of the younger generation by ensuring that all illicit and nicotine products were regulated in the country through the law.
And Master Chimbala Foundation CEO Master Chimbala told The Scoop that working among children, youths, families and communities at large, there was a need to put into effect, the aspirations of the legislative product of the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention for Tobacco Control.
Mr Chimbala said children and youths must lead safe, healthy, and productive lives as opposed to what was obtaining on the ground where many youths were falling into drugs and alcohol abuse as well as tobacco smoking, a situation he said had led into an irreversible class of junkies and uncontrollable gangsters.
He pleaded with the youths that instead of being at the centre of illicit activities, they must take a lead and function through transformative and empowering programs across the country.
“As a society, we must be ashamed that we have allowed our children and youths to transform into rejects; junkies that are terrorising the community. Drug and alcohol abuse as well as tobacco smoking injures the fabric of good citizens and we must strive towards the delivery of social protection programmes and services because an ailing citizenry is less productive, unhealthy, and prone to suffering,” Mr. Chimbala said.
And Zambia Civic Education Association (ZCEA) child rights advocate Chomba Mulenga attributed the increasing number of street kids and those engaged in illicit activities such as junkies to lack of implementation in the existing laws to regulate illicit drugs in the country.
Ms. Mulenga said Zambia is a Christian nation and therefore should lead by example by supporting the laws that aimed at bringing morals especially to the younger generation.
She said Zambia was dominated by young people that needed to be guided at a tender age before they were destroyed by illicit drugs they engaged in, a situation she said had led to illicit activities among youths.
She told The Scoop Newspaper that the Government should take keen interest in signing the laws to safeguard the country, saying the Tobacco Control and Nicotine Products Bill must be among those to be considered to regulate illicit products that were harmful to health.
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