...let's prevent drug abuse and behave positively to create a golden generation for an advanced Indonesia.Jakarta (ANTARA) - Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has urged all Indonesian youngsters to actively support drug prevention and eradication efforts and help create a superior and quality generation.
“To be more productive and competitive, let's prevent drug abuse and behave positively to create a golden generation for an advanced Indonesia,” he remarked at a webinar on "It is Time for Youth to Voice,” which was accessed from here on Saturday.
The webinar was themed “improving health and welfare of youth by preventing drug abuse and other risky behaviors.”
Sadikin said that young people are the next generation of Indonesia, hence they have an important role in the country's development program.
"In 2030, Indonesia will get a demographic bonus as the majority of the population will be in their productive age," he noted.
Hence, the government has continued efforts to raise awareness and understanding among youngsters on a number of risky behaviors that young people normally indulge in, he said.
"For instance, violence, bullying, transmission of sexually transmitted diseases, as well as drug abuse," he said.
Related news: International Day Against Drug Abuse to be commemorated in Bali
According to data provided by the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), as well as Statistics Indonesia (BPS), the prevalence of the abuse of drugs, psychotropic, and other addictive substances increased from 1.8 percent in 2019 to 1.95 percent in 2021, with the highest prevalence seen among people aged 15–24 years.
"It is expected that there will be good collaboration between the government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and the community (on fighting drug abuse),” the minister remarked.
He then invited all parties to build a young generation that is aware of various health issues through the Healthy Community Movement (Germas).
Earlier, while opening the ‘Smash on Drugs' International Table Tennis Tournament at Udayana University, Badung, on June 19, 2022, BNN head commissioner, General Petrus Reinhard Golose, had also asked all people living in Indonesia, including foreigners, to collaborate on eradicating drug abuse.
The tournament, which ended on June 27, was held as part of a series of BNN activities to commemorate the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
The international day is observed annually on June 26.
Related news: Bali not a safe haven for drug abuse: BNN
Translator: Wuryanti Puspitasari, Uyu Lima
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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