Campaign to empower mums to save youth from addiction
Mothers Against Drugs’ is an initiative of the Punjab Lit Foundation to help women take an active role in safeguarding their children from falling into the trap of drug addiction.
In response to the “escalating drug crisis” across the state, the Punjab Lit Foundation, in association with the district administration, held a special event to launch its ‘Mothers Against Drugs’ campaign at Bullowal village of Hoshiapur on Sunday.
The campaign, spearheaded by author and former state information commissioner Khushwant Singh along with Sanna Kaushal, media adviser to the National Commission for Women (NCW), is designed to mobilise and empower Punjab mothers to take an active role in safeguarding their children from falling into the trap of drug addiction.
A huge number of mothers gathered to participate in training and motivation sessions aimed at educating them on how to recognise the early warning signs of substance abuse and intervene effectively.
Sanna Kaushal, director of the initiative, highlighted the programme’s statewide goals. She said the mission was to educate and empower mothers throughout Punjab to be proactive in the fight against drug addiction. “We will be organising more such events to ensure that every mother in Punjab has access to the knowledge and tools needed to protect her children. Mothers can act as the first line of defence in saving their children from drug addiction,” Kaushal said.
Writer Khushwant Singh said the aim was to let this campaign grow into a mass movement across the state, making every mother in Punjab a soldier in the fight against drugs. “We have funded the project ourselves so far, but we hope others will join us. The campaign plans to hold workshops across the state, offering mothers guidance on how to identify shifts in their children’s behaviour, address concerns early on and create a supportive home environment. With drug addiction cases commonly emerging between the ages of 14 and 24, the foundation encourages vigilance, particularly among mothers of children aged 13 to 18,” Singh said.
Meanwhile, Gaurav Gill, a Delhi-based body language expert, explained to the mothers how to recognise various patterns that could suggest drug addiction. Pankaj Mahajan from Gurdaspur spoke about his drug addiction and how he shunned it with the help of his family, especially mother.
Superintendent of police Major Singh provided information on how to report drug-related activities in communities through anonymous helplines. He also shared the emergency numbers in case mothers were suspicious of someone peddling drugs in their locality or village.