Children and women in the grip of drug addiction

Drug use among women and adolescents has increased exaggeratedly after the Covid-19 pandemic, to such a degree that the three Hogar Crea Dominicano centers for women and one for minors are saturated and without space for new income. Many of these women and children also arrive with a history of sexual abuse and mistreatment due to their addiction, especially to marijuana and crack.

The reality of addiction among women has been changing over the years, because initially, their dependence was on drugs, especially for sleep, and alcohol in small proportions inside their homes, but currently they consume more and more marijuana and crack. Hogar Crea Dominicano has three homes for women, one in Santiago and two in the capital, while the one that houses minors is located in La Vega province.

At the center for children and adolescents, minors between the ages of 10 and 14 receive care, but they have had cases of substance use in children as low as eight years of age. The data was offered by the national director of Hogar Crea Dominicano, Julio Díaz Capellán, who diagnosed the reality of drug use and prevention based on experience in the 42 centers nationwide, where the entity provides service to addicts of various drugs.