25 Nov 2008

Bougainville MP urges fight against drugs and alcohol abuse

1:02 pm on 25 November 2008

An MP in the autonomous Papua New Guinea province of Bougainville says her priority is to get youth off drugs and homebrew and into education.

Madeleine Toroansi says the extent of the drug abuse was made clear to her recently when she was accosted by armed youths while walking in her central Bougainville constituency.

She says she aims to work with churches, NGOs and the ABG to ensure guns are completely removed and youth have greater access to education and opportunities for employment.

Ms Toroansi says mothers have been asking her to step in.

"In this particular area I might say there are around ten thousand people. That's a lot of people and that's a lot of youth that are not going to school. I am a member of that electorate so I have to do something about it. These kids do not get to first base on education."

Madeleine Toroansi