Amid police raids, HK social workers take on drug abuse

HONG KONG: A series of images broadcast earlier this month on local television captured the scene: Underage drug users pouring out of two discos as police swarm around them. Hastily discarded drugs lie in heaps on the ground, and curses and shouts hang in the air.

A suspected drug dealer was taken into custody, but that was not the end of the story. The raid was only the latest example of the challenges the authorities face in curbing drug use among local young people.

In an effort to tackle some of these challenges, Caritas Youth and Community Service, a Hong Kong-based Catholic charity, has been reaching out to high-risk local youths through its Play Safe Healthy Life Project. The program combines anti-drug use and sex education with activities aimed at improving the participants' self-esteem.