Preventing children's drug and alcohol consumption is a common cause

In the Vitebsk region, the number of children on preventive records due to alcohol and drug use, as well as those who have committed crimes under the influence of alcohol and drugs, is decreasing this year. This is a definite result of the work of all services – education, healthcare, police, and the prosecutor's office exercising its coordination powers.

However, to maintain a stable situation, new prevention methods are needed, a "fresh look" from the experience of law enforcement officers in other regions and countries.

On August 1st and 2nd, prosecutors from the Vitebsk region dealing with child protection issues participated in an international conference organized by the Prosecutor General's Office of the Republic of Belarus and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Representative Office on this issue.

Our delegation included: Assistants to the Regional Prosecutor Volkov A.V. and Tarasevich I.N., Deputy Prosecutor of the Braslav District Labut Yu.P., Assistant Prosecutor of the Orsha District Korsak V.V., Assistant Prosecutor of the Vitebsk District Osipenko E.V.

The experience in combating this evil, shared by the leaders and practitioners of the Fund's Representative Office, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the Prosecutor General's Office, the Ministries of Education, Healthcare, Internal Affairs, prosecutors, and representatives of the Commissions for Juvenile Affairs from other regions, will undoubtedly be disseminated in the Vitebsk region. In particular, genuine interest was aroused by the International Standards and Best Practices in Preventing Psychoactive Substance Use Among Minors, as well as issues of coordination and identification.

Senior Assistant Regional Prosecutor Volkov A.V. also spoke on problematic issues of law enforcement activities in preventing alcoholism and drug addiction among youth.

Senior Assistant Regional Prosecutor
Anton Volkov