Social Stigmatization of Drug-Addicted Youths: A Study of Community Attitudes and Responses in Mile 91 Town,
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61963/jkt.v3i2.115Keywords:
Social Stigmatization, Drug Addiction, Youth Marginalization, Community AttitudesAbstract
This research examines the prevailing community attitudes regarding drug-addicted youth and the immense impact of these perceptions on the victims themselves; it was carried out in Mile 91 Town, Sierra Leone. The study employs semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions to explore insights from drug-addicted youths, community leaders, healthcare providers and family members. Results indicate that severe social stigmatizations are leading to extreme isolation, which limits access to services such as mental health and rehabilitation centers. Such stigmatization is based on a moral blame culture that reinforces the view that addiction is a moral sin. These thoughts, therefore, make these young people’s challenges more complicated while making recovery efforts difficult. This calls for community-led initiatives like awareness creation to change these harmful attitudes in the area into a supporting environment. There are underlying causes of stigmatization that must be handled before Mile 91 can develop an inclusive network that will facilitate recovery and social reintegration, thus ensuring that its community is generally healthier. The broader understanding of how addiction affects society, especially in rural Africa, has been analyzed by this research, and strategic recommendations have been made on what needs to be done moving towards future interventions and policy development.
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