| dc.description.abstract | This is an exploratory study on the vulnerability of the youth to drugs and substance abuse. The concept of vulnerability helps to identify those members of a population who are likely to suffer long term disruptions of livelihood and lifelines as well as those who will find it more difficult to re-establish their accustomed patterns of living. Many people in Kenya when asked about consumption of drugs and substance will express a sense that there is a crisis. Today women and children abuse drugs and substance which was unheard of in the past. In the past women were safe, they would hardly abuse drugs and substance. Currently female youth are abusing drugs and they are catching up with the men. This study paid particular attention to investigating the nature and magnitude of vulnerabilities that exposed female youth to drug and SUbstance abuse in Makindu town.
Consequently, this exploratory study had the following objectives:-
a) To investigate the extent to which female youth in Makindu town are vulnerable to drug and substance abuse.
b) To identify and classify the type of risks found among female youth exposed to drug and substance use.
c) To establish remedial strategies put in place in the society to cope with risk situations related to drug and substance use.
The data was collected by use of unstructured questionnaire designed for female youth abusing drug and substance, focus group discussion guides for female youth whose partners abused drugs, key informant guide for key informants, participant observation and where possible an observation checklist.
According to the findings of the study, it was evident that;-
a) The extent to which female youth were vulnerable drugs and substance was high; peer pressure, unemployment, availability of drugs and substance, Mombasa road, availability of money were some of the factors cited to have contributed to female youth abusing drugs and substance in Makindu town.
b) Biological: lung complications, HIV/Aids, poor duty performance, falling, chipping and staining of teeth etc, social: prostitution, neglect of children, fighting with spouse and others, influencing children to abuse sleeping pills etc, and psychological: loss of memory, mental illnesses, anorexia etc were cited to be some of the risks the female youth experienced after abusing drugs and substance.
c) It was established that there were organizations that were working towards vulnerability reduction such as the Ministry of Youth Affairs and sports through the YEDF programme, Hope worldwide Kenya through its CP programme and APHIA II Eastern through its Magnetic theatre programme. The community was said to be working through its elders where they gave advice to the youth on drugs and substance abuse.
The study thus recommends that there be an advocacy campaign against drug and substance abuse to demystify the stereotypes about drug and substance abuse in order to minimise the peer pressure. Another campaign on attitude change towards employment would assist youth appreciate different kinds of jobs that are legal to reduce apathy amongst them.
The study further recommends that there be establishment of empowerment centres where youth would spend their leisure time constructively.
In addition, the study recommends that further research should be undertaken mainly on female youth in towns along Mombasa road. The findings would give invaluable insight on Mombasa road as a vulnerability to drug and substance abuse. The study further recommends that there is need to compare vulnerability of male and female youth to drugs and substance abuse. This would help understand and contribute towards vulnerability reduction measures for youth in towns along Mombasa road. | en_US |
