9 July 2010 - Dark scenes of blood dripping from giant poppy flowers and skulls and burning fields where beheaded farmers recline – these are just some of the paintings created by students of Behzad Art School that are now a part of an exhibition organized by various Government organizations and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Herat.

To mark the recent International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, Herat’s provincial authorities and their international partners chose art students to sensitize the youth against drugs, through a nationwide exhibition that will also pass through the capital, Kabul.

According to the latest UNODC survey on drug use in Afghanistan, the country – now the world’s highest producer of opium and cannabis resin – is faced with a major social challenge, with nearly eight per cent of its population addicted to drugs.

Herat province, where drugs are principally smuggled towards neighbouring Iran, is also affected with 50,000 drug users, according to figures provided by the Department of Counter-Narcotics.

Gulham Jailani Daghigh, director of the department, points to some success obtained by the provincial authorities in fighting drugs in Herat in 2009.

“Three tons of drugs were seized, 220 suspects arrested, and 28 vehicles seized with the help of the police,” he says.

Nevertheless, he calls on Herat’s population to take part in the effort. “It is our responsibility to fight drugs in our workplace and in our family. Currently, there are only three private clinics with 40 beds,” he says.

Various United Nations initiatives are working to solve the problem, from improved law enforcement to HIV/AIDS prevention and care for drug users, and alternative livelihoods for farmers.

Stuart Steinberg, a law enforcement consultant, tells students he came to Afghanistan to “train the Afghan Border Police to conduct counter-narcotics operations and help stop trafficking.” He also explains to the young men and women how drug trafficking is affecting the lives of people all over the world.

Community policing, crime scene investigation and leadership and ethics are some of the subjects covered under this training. UNODC has also been working since 2006 to build the capacity of officers and non-commissioned officers.

Meanwhile, three of the students’ paintings will be sent to Kabul to be exhibited as a part of a nationwide effort to curb the use and trafficking of drugs.

By Fraidoon Poya and Henri Burgard, UNAMA