Williamnagar, Feb 19: The office of the District Social Welfare Officer (DSWO), East Garo Hills, Williamnagar, organized a one-day Awareness Program on Drug Abuse and Schemes Related to Women Empowerment at Mangsang Higher Secondary School under Rongjeng Civil Sub-Division on Thursday.

The chief of the occasion, Diana G Sangma, Additional Deputy Commissioner, spoke at length about the need for empowering women in the society and said that women need to have education, skill and good health to get themselves empowered.

While highlighting the ill-effects of drug abuse, she said that the abuse of drugs and addictive substances is a menace to society that needs to be nipped at the bud and urged the students to stay away from drugs and to concentrate on their studies to enable themselves to become what they want to be in their respective lives.

During the day-long program, Mamuni K Marak, Protection Officer of the District Child Protection Unit, had a talk on Child Marriage, while R Ch Momin, LADC of DLSA, Williamnagar, highlighted the offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.

R Ch Marak, Psychiatrist of DMHP, spoke at length about Drug Abuse as a Chronic Medical Disease and SA Sangma, Circle Inspector of Rongjeng Police Station, highlighted the drug related crimes.

The others who spoke on the occasion included the Nokma of Mangsang, Pricipal of Mangsang Higher Secondary School and the president of Rongjeng Regional Unit of AHAM.