On 28.04.2021 HOPS- Options for Healthy Life Skopje organized the regional meeting on the topic “Children who use drugs”. Presentations on the topic had Liljana Ignjatova, Ph.D., Professor at the Faculty of Medicine in Skopje, Department of Psychiatry, and Head of the Center for Prevention and Treatment of Drug Addiction, the Republic of Northern Macedonia from RSM, Eranda Berisha – Center for Social Work Pristina, Kosovo, Skerdi Zahaj, consultant in “Initiative for Social Change” ARSIS from Albania, Marija Mijovic social worker at the NGO Juventas from Montenegro and Denis Dedajic, NGO Margina from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
From the presentations of all speakers, it can be concluded that the rate of children and young people using drugs and other psychoactive substances is increasing. Health and other relevant institutions do not have an adequate answer to this question, and in all countries in the region, there is a complete lack of appropriate treatment programs for children who use drugs.
Recommendations:
- Use good practices from countries where there are programs to treat and care for children and young people who use drugs
- To prepare and adopt appropriate programs for the treatment of children and young people who use drugs
- Strengthen partnerships between CSOs and health and social institutions in policymaking and