A Pleasure Trap: Girl's Response to Drugs

Orzigul is a 15-years old girl from Almalyk city of Tashkent region, Uzbekistan. Despite her young age, Orzigul has very creative mindset and can openly express her opinions in a very sensible way. Orzigul attends the crafts classes at the "Barkamol Avlod" Centre, children's arts and crafts place of Almalyk city. The classes in this Centre helped her to stand up against drugs and promote life free from drugs, especially for girls.

Orzigul's talents became clear from the very first day at "Barkamol Avlod." Ms. Gulchekhra Tairova, Director of the Centre, suggested that Orzigul participates in the national contest called "Let's unite against the evil," aimed at empowerment of youth and raising their awareness on drugs-related issues and drug prevention. The contest was organized by the Ministry of Public Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan, one of the key partners of the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC) in Uzbekistan.

We got acquainted with Orzigul through her work at the contest. It was a paper-sculpture. An image of a young lady whose head was covered with flowers from the right, and with syringes, drugs and pills from the left.

Later, Orzigul commented "I called it "You decide what way to choose." It is the brain which gets struck by the narcotic substances. Drugs affect brains and a person does not realize what s/he is doing. Why people get into the drugs trap? Why do people get that vice? There are so many questions. But we should not give up. We should stop this evil."

"Originally, like any girl, she is a young lady, beautiful like a flower, and her world is filled with eternal beauty. But half of her head is filled with the flame of evil."

"This contest was a kind of trigger for me. I wanted to show how disastrously the drugs affect women. I strongly believe that drugs affect women in a very particular way. And we have to prevent each other from drugs' trap." added Orzigul.

"Over the centuries, the world knows Uzbek women as unique, glorious personalities, distinguished by their virtue, grace and dignity. Let us preserve the legacy of Nodirabegim, Tomaris and Zilfiya." - concluded Orzigul.

UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia works to empower youth to choose life without drugs and crime. Within a Global Programme on Implementation of Doha Declaration, UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia introduced several tools of the Education for Justice initiative for primary, secondary and tertiary education in Uzbekistan and other countries of the region, implemented Line Up Live Up! initiative in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. These initiatives target young girls and boys and teach them overcoming stressful situations, negative influence and drug use through awareness raising, new knowledge and sports.

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