Monday, June 25, 2012 -
Tajikistan on Monday launched the first of two national-level drug addict rehabilitation training seminars in the capital city.
The aim of the first workshop in Dushanbe is to familiarize national specialists on psychotherapeutic approaches to address drug addiction and best practices for social workers. The second training focuses on putting the theoretical approaches into practice.
The poverty stricken Central Asian republic sits alongside Afghanistan, heart of the world’s heroin industry. According to Red Cross figures it has from 60,000-100,000 drug addicts.
German experts will head the seminars held for 20 of the country’s leading narcologists, psychologists, and social workers, the Asia-Plus news agency reported.
Part of the training is to identify and develop strategies together with the European specialists in order to cope with difficulties which may arise in day-to-day rehabilitation work.
In the course of the training, experts from the two sides will identify additional needs in community-based treatment.
The seminar series concludes on Saturday.
The program has received funding from the European Union.
Conflict-ridden Afghanistan produces more than 90 percent of the world’s opiates, while the Afghan heroin trade through Central Asia is worth billions of dollars.