Rise In Cases Of Women Drug Addicts & Lack Of Rehabs Raises Concern

Social constructs have marginalised women not only in the sectors of jobs, education, and freedom but also in substance abuse. Because of social stigmas about women's sanskars and health, women drug addicts in Punjab are absent from the discourse of substance abuse. There is a dearth of rehab centres exclusively dedicated to women. The government's support is also lacking in providing the required social and medical help to women drug users. As a result, the number of women drug addicts is rising in Punjab. 

Recently, amid the ongoing battle against drug trafficking, the Government Railway Police (GRP) successfully intercepted and apprehended four women at Ludhiana Railway Station. The operation resulted in the confiscation of a substantial quantity of opium, weighing 8 kilograms. 

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The individuals in custody have been identified as Punia Devi, Radha Devi, Sunita Devi, and Geeta Devi, all hailing from Jharkhand. According to GRP officials, the accused had orchestrated the transportation of the illicit substance from Jharkhand with the intent to distribute it within the state of Punjab. Punia Devi, Radha Devi, and Sunita Devi were intercepted on platform number 1, each found in possession of 2 kilograms of opium, totalling 6 kilograms. Meanwhile, Geeta Devi was separately apprehended with an additional 2 kilograms of opium in her possession.

Following their arrest, a formal case was registered against the accused individuals, and they were subsequently remanded to police custody for two days.  Notably, this operation adds to the growing tally of arrests made under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, with seven out of the nine apprehended individuals being women.

Inspector Palwinder Singh, leading the Criminal Investigative Agency (CIA) team, as reported by The Hindustan Times, sheds light on the evolving tactics employed by drug smugglers, particularly the increasing involvement of women in such operations. Singh emphasized that the utilization of female couriers is driven by the perception that they are less likely to arouse suspicion during transit. 

Cases of Women Facing Drug Abuse In Punjab

Recently, a video went viral in which a 22-year-old woman who was addicted to heroin claimed that she gets her chitta (heroin) from a nearby Mehtabgarh village where drug peddlers are often seen. The woman was initially undergoing treatment in the state’s only government-run women’s de-addiction centre in Kapurthala, but she stopped visiting due to a lack of connection and faith. But after the video went viral, the police got her re-admitted to the de-addiction centre. 

In another viral video, a young woman, presumably under the influence of a narcotic drug, was seen immobile on the road. She was swaying and trying to move into the Maqboolpura locality of Amritsar. 

The most recent case is from Ludhiana, in which a woman was admitted to a hospital by her residents as she was struggling with drug abuse. However, the hospital lacked the necessary tools to provide proper care and support to the woman. In the absence of proper rehabilitation services for the woman, an NGO stepped in to help her. 

An official said, “The woman was admitted to the hospital emergency room, but there was only one staff nurse to take care of the entire emergency room. The addict was also creating a ruckus, and the staff nurse couldn't take care of her as well as other patients admitted to the ward. Members of the Manukhta Di Sewa Society visited the hospital and took the woman for treatment.”

Videos of women struggling with drug abuse often surface on the internet. However, the lack of infrastructure to provide them with the required help is making it hard for women to break the vicious cycle of addiction. An official remarked, "Women addicts often find themselves overlooked and underserved in their quest for recovery."

Increasing Population Of Women Drug Users In Punjab

The Punjab Opioid Dependence Survey (PODS), conducted in 2014–15, showed that 1 percent of the population using opioids is women, which accounts for 8,000–10,000 women. According to ‘Magnitude of Substance Use in India-2019’, there are around 40 lakh drug users in Punjab, and 2–5 percent of this population could be women. 

Punjab has 32 government-run de-addiction centres, but the only centre made exclusively for women is in Kapurtahala, which opened in 2017 after the PODS mentioned above. 

Lack Of Infrastructure For The Rehabilitation Of Women Drug Users In Punjab

Sandeep Bhola, Deputy Medical Commissioner and consultant psychiatrist at the Kapurthala Center, said that when the centre came into existence, not many women could reach out. So a pilot project was introduced to encourage women to reach out for help. In 2019, ‘Comprehensive Health and Rights-Based Response for Women Who Use Drugs’, sponsored by the Global Fund and coordinated by the India HIV-AIDS Alliance, started at the centre. As part of the project, outreach staff were planted who were well aware of the drug-using community. These workers helped in bringing female patients to the centre. 

However, when the program ended, the number of female patients at the centre also decreased. Dr Bhola said, "Ideally, the state government should have adopted and taken over the project, but despite requests, nothing concrete has come out. We urge the government to retain the outreach staff members. The patients have faith in them. They are a key link to bringing patients from their home to the centre and taking them back." 

Experts also say that substance abuse affects women differently than men. Therefore, it is important to include women in the discourse of substance abuse so that they don't feel neglected and trapped in the viscosity of drug abuse.  

Views expressed by the author are their own