July 18, 2005

The story of a Cambodian girl named S'kun (a/k/a Srei Kor, "deaf mute woman" in Khmer). She is a girl who was sniffing glue and living on the streets of Phnom Penh, when she was noticed by an expat American photographer. I think the five part story he wrote about her is very much well worth the read. (As is the rest of his site: Tales of Asia).

Cambodia is hardly an isolated case. A search for street kids sniffing glue turns up similar stories from almost any country you can imagine. Poor kids, no matter where they are, turn to sniffing inhalants to suppress their hunger and numb out the misery of their life on the streets. What to do? Well in Honduras the problem is quite bad. The glue of choice for these kids is Resistol, and the children that sniff it are called Resistoleros. Resistol is made by the H.B. Fuller company. Some activists have called on Fuller to add oil of mustard to their product so that kids will gag and be unable to abuse it. Fuller has resisted the request, their position, which is understandable, is that if one product is denied to the street kids, they'll just switch to something else, like gasoline, paint or some other glue. In South Africa, some are trying to get the brand of glue kids sniff off the shelves. But will that work? There are hundreds of common products that contain volatile substances that will get you high if you sniff them.

posted by un- 18 years ago
  • Great, if exasperating, links. (Exasperating only because I don't know what to do to make it better for those street children who are so far away.) un_, you're a master linker. Your desert series was fascinating, but this one is close to unbearable. And, I thank you for that. We need to have our comfortable lives shaken up.
  • I don't know what to do either. Some aid agencies can intevene for some kids, but there's always more kids out on the street. Probably the only way to significantly reduce the harm to them from inhalant abuse would be to have some world-wide cooperation between governments (to ban sales to minors), industry (to denature all commonly available inhalant products), and aid agencies to feed these kids and give them a safe place to stay. That is: reduce availability, make the products more difficult to abuse, and give the kids some positive alternative so they don't need the drugs as much; a comprehensive approach. Realistically, I don't think that will happen. There are some decent NGOs (non-governmental aid organizations) that Gordon Sharpless of TalesofAsia mentions at the end of his story about S'kun that one could consider sending money to. That might help a few kids.
  • Realistically, I don't think that will happen. Agreed. I see the similar in Indonesia. It really guts my heart out. I see so many hopeless situations, and feel hopeless myself in what I can do. I don't see it so much as a drug issue, rather, the abandonment of the lower class by the government. This is life as many know it. It will never change for countless individuals/families/communities. That doesn't mean it should be forgotten or cast aside. On the contrary, I do what I can, and hope my contribution (a tinkle in the bucket) will make at least one person's life somewhat more livable. I spend my time between the US and Indonesia. To be honest, I'm not a gambler, nor have I ever been attracted to the "quick buck." I do however purchase MegaMillions lotto tickets on occasion - - with the thought being: If I ever win, the money is going towards setting up some center of sorts to not only help people escape these types of situations, but to educate them as well... We all have dreams I guess.
  • sugarmilktea - I think that's wonderful. I will cross my fingers that you win someday! A friend is Indonesian, but came to the US for school and has stayed here to work. I know her situation isn't bad, but I know that the situation in SOME parts of the country is frequently appalling, depending on who you are. But I guess if you add "depending on who you are" to that description, it could apply to almost anywhere, including street kids in London or NYC or Tokyo or other wealthy cities.
  • Excellent post. (Is it just me, or have a few rad new users joined in the past several days? Seems that way)
  • It's not just you. Another great post, thank you.
  • Back in the day, we huffed compressed air. It was bad. But cheap. Thanks!
  • Kudos, un-, have a couple of )))'s. Your posts are thought-provoking and you have obviously taken the time to craft them well. Welcome and good job!
  • On the subject though, knowing that there are street kids out there whose outlook on life is distinctly sunny despite their grievous circumstances certainly makes me examine my own attitude.
  • This is a serious problem in Manitoba too, but moreso on the reservations up north. I saw a report once on some kids who were living in the woods near a reservation. They had baggies full of gasoline which they'd keep sticking their faces into. There's no quicker way to turn your brain to complete mush than by using inhalants, and these kids were already nearly catatonic. They'd grin at the camera, and you could see that nobody was home. Little kids.
  • Those last two comments in combination are making my heard hurt a little. I can't read this page, but I think the guy pictured is the photographer from the Cambodian links.