PARAMARIBO – Youth Counsellors Dwight Samuel and Anoeska Plet recently urged the authorities to address the issue of homeless teens.

They explained that a growing number of youths are ending up on the streets as homeless persons. “This is an alarming development that may no longer be ignored.” The youth counsellors pointed out that the government must address the issue by providing structural solutions. They also pointed out that these vulnerable youths require a helping hand to get off the streets. “Many youths end up on the streets because they have nobody to turn to,” said the youth counsellors who added that parents keep playing an important role when it comes to raising and protecting their children. The youth counsellors therefore urged parents to keep talking to their children and to keep talking about the consequences of choosing a wrong path that leads to crime, drug addition and homelessness. They explained that the awareness campaign must also be carried out that schools and that the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Justice and Police must collaborate to reach the youths in an early stage. “If we do not investigation in our youths now, the problem will only get bigger.”