Glue Sniffing Among Street Children
By Saleem Khan • Jul 20th, 2008 • Category: Misc, Worth A Second Look • 13 CommentsGlue sniffing previously a Central American phenomenon is becoming increasing common phenomenon among street children in Pakistan. Glue sniffing is perceived as a cheaper and safer alternative to intravenous drug use.
Though the exact number of children addicted to glue sniffing in Pakistan is not known, it has been identified as a common problem among street children in Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Quetta and other main cities. Some reports state that children are forced to sniff glue and then engaged in criminal activities.
The increase in glue sniffing among street children can be attributed to three main factors:
- It is Cheap
- It is easily available and legal
- The “high” happens very quickly with effects similar to getting drunk on alcohol, and sometimes hallucinations.
A majority of these Glue sniffing children are orphans and runaway children, who earn their livelihood by cleaning cars at busy business centres, or work as child labours or “scavengers”. Glue sniffing has become an opiate of choice among these children, especially among those aged between 10-15 years.
They use “Samad Bond”, a kind of home made glue used for binding leather, rubber, textile, and wood or glass — by spreading it on a piece of cloth, rolling it and then start inhaling, which makes them snooze. The side effects are more dangerous than those of cannabis and other drugs. “After inhaling the glue, sometimes we do not feel pain even when one cuts himself or herself,” said a street child, Sheraz.
“I got the habit from runaway children who live at Data Darbar in Lahore,” said 13-year-old boy, Maqbool. Once he developed breathing problems, he returned home where he quitted glue sniffing, he added. Another boy, Imran (15) said he ran away from his home because his father always beat him, and he started cleaning up cars to survive. He said it was the only source of his income. “We collectively buy a jar of Samad Bond and then use it,” he added.
Glue, benzene, gasoline, varnish thinner, lighter fluid and aerosol belong to a group of volatile hydrocarbons and petroleum derivatives that were still being used for addiction, particularly by people working at garages and petrol stations.
Medical reports say that Glue sniffing could cause dangerous side effects on behaviour, such as euphoria, slurred speech, hallucination and psychosis. The habit could also damage brain, lever, kidneys, heart and myocardium. If it is daily used over a period of six months it could cause permanent brain damage.
Though our country has laws to combat drug abuse, but not as yet formulated laws to combat glue sniffing. There is an urgent need to address this problem before it addicts many more children.
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saleem, you are great great great in highlighting such issues of our society. You are bringing issues who were putting in dark before. I had no idea of this problem before. Thanks for increasing my knowledge. Keep it up. You are really great and intelligent to address such issues.
Saleem Bhai, I am enormously touched by your interest and involvement in such important social issues; at the same time I am extremely disappointed and pained to notice the over all indfifference of the regular, learned, and valued visitors. Doesn’t it reflect the general societal compacency prevailing in main stream Pakistan about such important and chronic problems that you have been, courageously, raising on this forum. After all issues such as violence against our women and children and drug addiction is not something that will automatically go away one day; if anything chances are to get worse unless there is awareness and opposition of such evils.
I appeal others to forcefully condemn all such malpractices in our society.
Saleem Bhai, indeed it is great of the efforts that you are undertaking to address problems in Pakistan. Pakistan is not alone to face these issues. The question I have is, what are we doing other than talking about and addressing these evils of society? It is one part to address the problem but the greater challenge is trying to find solutions.
Aftab Bhai, good that you are reminding us all to focus on these issues as well. Writing about “hot” topics is one thing but as I have address to Saleem Bhai, lets focus on solutions. You are always good to remind us all and I would really love to read some of your own views in articles on this site. Please share with us some your wisdom. I have been always wanting to ask you this but then we all go from one topic to another. Something very similar to changing channels on the television.
I really would love to see some of your writings here Aftab Bhai, please share with us your wisdom.
Best regards
Dr Alshaer and Aftab Bhai,
My objective is discuss such issues and find out solutions but as you have seen, hardly people are taking interest to even read these topics. They only want to see “Sub Acha Hai”…. but it is not reality. We have to solve our problems.
Last night I was thinking that how to solve this Wheat/Flour problem in Pakistan. I will come up with a post of my brain storming and I hope in return you will also participate.
Dear Aftab, please go ahead with your recommendations and hopefully others will join too…including me.
I have also heard of children sniffing goat’s urine, the more older it is , the more they like it. A common practice in some parts of rural Sindh.
When childhood is snatched from children, they opt towards or made to adopt the unnatural ways to get relaxation.
poor kids so young and so breft of hope
one day i got mad at a child on traffic signal when he cleaned my already clean car
i gave him the money and told him to ask before he cleans a car. i dont know what the government and these ngo’s are doing. someone told me that there are over 10000 registered NGOs in pakistan sorry for my little knowledge but arent the ngos supposed to do something about these children?
are there any rehabilitation centers here? what the hell is our govt upto. petrol is 87 already and we’re paying sales tax on every commodity and they’re making billions of rupees just on sales tax. imagine the amount of money they’re getting from kesc, import duty, customs, petroleum and what not.
even the roads are not free to use and even this is not enough for the rascals. bloody scoundrels. if i have the power, i’ll blow their asses apart.
fuck democracy, fuck judiciary, fuck the system. i hate you all.
sorry about the language guys. very sorry. but couldnt control myself lol.
good job saleem khan sahib.
do you also know that these children are molested everyday. paedophiles are all over them and they beat them and abuse them every single day!!!!
make them do unimagineable stuff and they torture them to hell. and all can just be mere spectators.
i saw a program on dawn tv and it made me cry. people here are so cruel, i dont call them people anymore they’ve turned into hyneas.
u are so cool
haha! pleasurizing.. did i spell it right? anyways go to http://newsletters.ahrchk.net/hrc/mainfile.php/hrcvol1/2494/
These glue sniffers, molested kids and extremely vulnerable to all STDs are our future killers, robbers and rapists too. Go and See at late nights in dark streets of Pakistan they are found in all open areas.It is tragic part of their lives that they are not being rehabilitated fully by some philanthropist groups working on our streets.Kids once get involved in such immoral activities have no return to normal life.In our disturb state these neglected and rejected souls would be best hunt for terrorists for their future attacks to soft targets.