Lack of jobs forcing youth to turn to drugs

The high unemployment rate in the country has driven many Filipino youths to drug use and involvement in the illegal drug trade, an International Labor Organization (ILO) official said recently.

ILO representative Wernes Blenk called on the government and other agencies to take a closer look at the impact of globalization on the growing number of unemployed young Filipinos aged 15 to 24 years old.

"The high unemployment rate must be addressed urgently because it puts many young people at higher risk of getting involved in drug use and the illegal drug trade," he said.

Blenk cited the results of a recent study indicating high levels of unemployment and underemployment among young Filipinos found to be engaged in drug use and involved in the illegal drug trade.

"Because they have nothing to do, they usually get into drug use," he said, noting that drug use is often the stepping stone to a young Filipino’s greater involvement in selling, distribution and production of illegal drugs.

Based on data from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the number of unemployed Filipino youth has reached 2.5 million and is rapidly increasing.

Most of these jobless youths are male and living in urban areas. Half of them have completed high school, while those who had some college education comprise 39.5 percent of the unemployed youth.

The high unemployment rate among young Filipinos, according to DOLE, is mainly because most of them are unqualified for available jobs or have not taken any steps to look for employment.

The ILO earlier reported that the drug trade has now become a family business among poor communities in Metro Manila, with young children comprising a high percentage of the "workforce," according to a recent study.

The study showed that young children in poor communities are recruited by their parents and older relatives to join the illegal drug trade.

Emma Porio, the principal researcher in the two-year study, said the results of the study indicated that 10 to 20 percent of young children in poor communities in Pasay City, Quezon City and Manila are now involved in the drug trade.