At a consultation on drug-use behaviors (Source: VNA)More efforts in renovating communications methods and plans of action are needed to strengthen the prevention and control of social evils amidst rising challenges in the work, said Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) Nguyen Trong Dam.
At a meeting on August 20, he asked localities to design plans and prepare financial resources for the task, adding that only 31 cities and provinces have completed plans to support family and community-based drug detoxification and of them just 9 have actually carried out the plans, which show local officials have failed to pay adequate attention to the work.
The Deputy Minister also noted that prostitution-related crimes are rising with various forms, while budget for prostitution combat remains modest and support policies for prostitutes in re-integrating into the society stay limited, resulting in low effectiveness.
At the meeting, representatives from localities also reported their difficulties in social evil prevention and control, including the inefficient supports for drug addicts in rehabilitation and made recommendations on solutions.
As of September last year, 204,377 drug addicts were reported nationwide, four times higher that that of 20 years ago. They are now living in all cities and provinces across the country, almost all districts and about 70 percent of communes, wards and towns.
Meanwhile, 23,370 rehabilitated addicts are being managed in localities. Methadone treatment is being offered at 187 facilities in all 53 centrally-run cities and provinces, a rise of 54 facilities over the end of 2014.
In the first eight months of this year, authorities swept out 516 prostitution hot spots, seizing 2,449 suspects.-VNA
