Mothers lead fight against drugs in Türkiye

Ali Rıza Akbulut – ISTANBUL

In Türkiye, over 350,000 mothers have joined a program created to curb drug abuse by educating families and communities.

The “Best Narcotics Police is the Mother” initiative, coordinated by the Interior Ministry, aims to raise awareness about the dangers of drugs, especially among young people, and was launched to tackle the widespread issue of substance use starting at home.

With the beginning of the 2024-2025 academic year, the Narcotics Branch Directorate intensified its outreach efforts, particularly in schools.

Police teams conducted informative sessions in schools and surrounding areas, educating children, parents and teachers on drug types, hiding spots, and the damaging effects of substance abuse. The sessions focus on showing how drugs can be concealed within homes and the risks they pose to young people.

The program, which has drawn around 400,000 participants, not only covers preventative education for students but also reaches broader audiences in universities, youth centers and factories. It addresses practical safety tips, such as how to report crimes and recognize fake drug claims.

A central aspect of the program is dispelling the common misconception that drug use is limited to abandoned spaces; rather, it often occurs in places close to home.

A related initiative, the “Narco-TIR” program, allows citizens to experience drug prevention techniques through a 40-square-meter mobile center. Here, police experts provide live demonstrations, using touchscreens to illustrate the effects of drug abuse and educate visitors on safe reporting practices.

In response to growing drug-related disturbances in neighborhoods, the Interior Ministry also launched the “UYUMA” mobile app on Sept. 26, 2018. The app allows citizens to report drug trafficking and abuse anonymously, requiring only a phone number to log in.

Users can file reports by specifying locations and even adding visual evidence. Since January 2024, more than 2,000 reports have been logged in Istanbul alone, with each report mapped via the “Narcotic Case Analysis System” (NARVAS). Based on this data, police have increased their presence in identified high-risk areas.