To the editor:
I was working at a drug and alcohol treatment centre for girls aged 13 to 19 when the funding was cut to only justice beds-treatment or jail. So now we have gone from helping addicted children receive treatment to enabling them. I find this atrocious. The girls that came in were basically from the centre of the drug world of Main and Hastings. The majority of them could not recognize the intentions/ abuse of pimps. They mistook attention for love. Ours was a three-month program rather than the normal 28day program. I believed that catching these girls at such a young age gave them a chance in life. While I know many of them went back, at least they were now aware they did not have to choose that way of life. Most of them did not think they had the ability/power to make healthier choices for their futures. Let's bring back help for our children rather than helping them commit a slow (or sometimes quick) form of suicide. Let's show them someone cares.
Diane Becker,
Chilliwack, B.C.
