Afghan mothers giving opium to their children as medicine

Recent studies by the United Nations Office for Drug and Crimes have shown that in remote areas such as Badakhshan Province, Afghan mothers are giving their children opium in place of medicine, IRIN reported.

The villagers are seemingly oblivious to the serious health risks posed by use of the drug; the practice appears to be very common in isolated areas, with some women administering opium to their children three times a day. The UNODC says that at least one million people are addicted to drugs in Badakhshan, and that 45,000 of them are women.

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