“Addiction is not a crime, but a social wound that must be treated with competence, responsibility and political courage”. Thus the provincial secretary of the Democratic Party of Messina, Armando Hyerace, intervenes after the declarations of the Guarantor for Children, recalling the need for a concrete and continuous commitment against all forms of dependence.
“Crack, alcohol among very young people, gambling – which affects more and more fragile adults -: there are too many signals that have been arriving, for some time, from neighbourhoods, from schools, from social services. And today a new emergency is added, the digital one: young people trapped in front of screens, isolated from the real world, victims of social withdrawal and anxiety about performance or reputation on social media. It is an invisible but devastating addiction, which it corrodes relationships, self-esteem and futures. And we can no longer pretend nothing happened.”
For the PD, a structured and immediate intervention is needed: “We propose the creation of a permanent Municipal Technical Table on Addictions, which puts ASP, schools, parishes, associations and neighborhood representatives to work, united alongside others, for a choral and competent work. We need a real awareness campaign, which speaks to children and families in the places of daily life, and a series of meetings in secondary schools with experts, psychologists and educators.” But you also need a vision.
“The Municipality should equip itself with a Municipal Addiction Plan, built together with ASP and the Third Sector, with measurable objectives and integrated prevention, listening and treatment actions”, continues Hyerace. “And the metropolitan city must also do its part by building a Provincial Pact against Addiction with the municipalities of the province, because the fragilities do not stop at the administrative borders”. Hyerace concludes with an appeal: “Messina cannot remain a spectator and those who govern have their responsibilities. Either we build a city that heals, or we condemn it to live with its wounds. The PD chooses to be on the side of those who want to get back on their feet”.