Slavica Shekutkoska, a social work specialist in health and manager of the SOS line for help of drug users

 
Children aged 12-13 use drugs
 

The city delinquency is a worrying phenomenon as a result of the increased number of juveniles, who as a part of criminal gangs, are participants in drugs sale

 

Slavica Shekutkoska is a social work specialist in health, employed in the Daily hospital for prevention and treatment of people addicted to drugs in Kisela Voda, Skopje, where she has an opportunity to get familiar with the problems related to drugs use, for which she says that they are becoming more worrying for the Macedonian society. Her current function is a manager of the project SOS line for help of drug users.

The line offers information directed towards keeping health and social welfare of the interested people who call on the phone and it supports the implementation of specific activities directed towards vulnerable groups and high-risk groups. The information which the citizens of Macedonia can get from the line 0800 11 444 is free of charge.


C.W. – When was the Association of Social Workers of the city of Skopje founded and what are its activities?

S.Sh. – The Association of Social Workers of Skopje is a branch of the Association of Social Workers of the Republic of Macedonia, a member of the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW). It was founded in 1973 and it comprises 350 employed and unemployed social workers, whose number constantly grows. The objective of our work is to advance the professional capabilities of the social workers, through various forms of education and exchange of experiences.

 
C.W. – What experiences do you have in relation to the drugs use and abuse in Macedonia?

S.Sh. – In the past years the Macedonian society was deeply worried about the range of the local and regional problems related to illegal production, smuggling, drug use and abuse. It can result in the possible expansion of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, because of the threats for health and the nation, as well as the political, economic and social development in the country. The drug use has a negative influence on health: it is the main vector for transferring infectious diseases, especially AIDS, hepatitis and tuberculosis. According to the data, the intravenous drug use in 2002 was present in 136 countries and 96 countries were reported to be infected with the AIDS virus, within people who use drugs in this way. For the last years there has been a fast growth of use of synthetic drugs, especially the amphetamines of synthetic type. The use of cocaine is in moderate but constant growth. The most important is that the age of starting drug use rapidly decreases within young people. Nowadays it is between the age of 12-13. The social and health aspects of the drugs-related problems have been clearly realized in the country, but they continue to threaten and build new challenges. Apart from the use of synthetic drugs, there is also an increased number of juvenile criminal groups, engaged in illegal drugs sales. The link between the drug use and socially negative phenomena, as poverty, unemployment, homelessness and social exclusion, as well as the link between drug use and delinquency and criminal, point out the need to provide a balanced approach between the activities for decreasing the demand and the activities for decreasing drugs availability. Implementing such activities requires an organized approach of all state structures (educational, social, medical).  The city delinquency is a worrying phenomenon as a result of the increased number of juveniles, who as a part of criminal gangs, are participants in drugs sale. There are also some new challenges related to the increased attraction of synthetic drugs for the youngsters in Skopje and the other towns in the country. It comprises the challenges in the field of health, social protection and crime, as simultaneous use of several drugs, hepatitis, excluding from the society, drug use in prisons, insufficient engagement of the local community in prevention of drug use, lack of alternatives of punishing and lack of programs for social and working reintegration of people addicted to drugs.

 
C.W. – How is the project SOS line for drugs and services implemented, what is its function, what are its objectives and tasks?

S.Sh. – The project SOS line for drugs and services is a partner project between the Macedonian Center for International Cooperation, the Association of Social Workers of the City of Skopje, as non-governmental organizations, and the Social Work Center from Stip, as a governmental organization. It is another project which proves adding the activities and cooperation between the governmental and non-governmental organizations. Within this project there is a counseling service open in the offices of the Social Work Center in Stip, where volunteers work, educated from the field of drugs at the seminar, which was held in Skopje by foreign and domestic experts.

We have also realized a training of pedagogues from the high schools in Stip, with lecturers from the Association of Social Workers and employed people from the Social Work Center from the town. They will work in workshops with the pupils from the high schools, for drug use prevention. The Association of Social Workers of the city of Skopje, thank to the financial assistance from the PHARE program for “Building capacities of the institutions and development of the social care and protection”, supported by the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy is the bearer of the project “SOS line for help of drug users”, whose function is preventing above all. It offers information directed towards keeping health and social welfare of the interested people who call on the phone and it also supports the implementation of specific activities directed towards vulnerable groups and high-risk groups.

The “SOS line for help of drug users” directs people who have health and social problems related to drug use, towards health, social and other services. We offer information about the kinds of drugs, their effects, consequences from their use, as well as the relation between drugs and AIDS. All interested citizens can get information, above all, the parents, educators, health and social workers, as well as other professionals. For the realization of this task the Association of Social Workers has educated 23 graduated, unemployed social workers. The education has been helped by lecturers from the Trimbos Institute from Utrecht, Holland, as well as by lecturers from Macedonia. The information that the citizens of Macedonia can get on 0800 11 444 is free of charge. 

 
C.W. – What are your future plans in this field?

S.Sh. – In future we will make efforts to provide access of information on drugs in Albanian by opening a line as well as publishing a propaganda material. Our future activities for advancing the SOS line for help of drug users are directed towards constant education of the operators and introducing new forms of activities: opening a web-site, internet and following the latest information from the field of drugs, in order to help the citizens of Macedonia to get the necessary information in a simpler way. Since the people and families who have been faced with these problems often find support and help by a small number of institutions and experts, the SOS line for help of drug users offers an opportunity for informing on time, anonymous, reliable and respecting their personality. Citizens of many towns in Macedonia have so far asked for information from the SOS line for drug help (Tetovo, Gostivar, Stip, Gevgelija, Sveti Nikole, Bitola, Ohrid, Struga). Parents, cousins, experts, friends as well as people who have problems with drug use, they all phone us.

Involving in the European foundation of telephone lines for help of drug users

The establishment of the SOS line for help of drug users enables us to get involved in the European foundation of telephone lines for help of drug users (FESAT), supported by the European Commission. Such lines have been formed in all members of the European Union, as well as in Lithuania, Russia, the Czech republic and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The European Union action plan for fight against drugs 2000-2004, emphasizes the importance of these lines, as means to prevent the drug use and decrease the damage from its use. Establishing such line means concrete contribution to our country’s activities for joining the European Union.