Singapore's inaugural Drug Victims Remembrance Day observance, remembering the victims of drug abuse

On 17 May 2024, Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law led the observance of the inaugural Drug Victims Remembrance Day at the Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza. At the event were Mr Heng Chee How, Senior Minister of State for Defence; Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Minister of State for the Ministry of Home Affairs & Ministry of National Development; Ms Gan Siow Huang, Minister of State for the Ministry of Education & Ministry of Manpower; Mr Alvin Tan, Minister of State for the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth & Ministry of Trade and Industry; Ms Rahayu Mahzam, Minister of State for the Ministry of Communications and Information & Ministry of Health, and Mr Eric Chua, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth & Ministry of Social and Family Development, who are members of the Inter-Ministry Committee (IMC) on Drug Prevention for Youths. Mr Zainol Adi Bin Haji Ajmain, Acting Deputy Director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Brunei Darussalam; Mr Mohd Wendy, Acting Assistant Director, Preventive Drug Education of the NCB, Brunei Darussalam, and Mr Tan Chong Huat, Chairman of the National Council Against Drug Abuse, were in attendance as well.

2. The Drug Victims Remembrance Day will henceforth be observed on the third Friday of May each year. On this day we are reminded that the harms of drugs are far-reaching, that the families and loved ones of drug abusers, in particular the children, and the drug abusers themselves suffer, and that they deserve our support. Through collective observance of this special day, we stand together as a community for a strong and robust response to the drug problem that Singapore and other communities worldwide face.

Photo 1 (CNB): Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law giving his opening speech at the observance of the inaugural Drug Victims Remembrance Day on 17 May 2024.

3. Through public education and community engagements held in conjunction with Drug Victims Remembrance Day, the IMC aims to foster empathy, understanding, and support for friends and families of loved ones grappling with drug abuse, and to bring across starkly the realities faced by individuals and families who have suffered from drug abuse.

Photo 2 (CNB): Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law, and Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Minister of State for the Ministry of Home Affairs & Ministry of National Development, with students at the observance of the inaugural Drug Victims Remembrance Day on 17 May 2024.

Drug Victims Remembrance Day exhibition from 17 to 19 May 2024

4. At the Drug Victims Remembrance Day exhibition that takes place from 17 to 19 May at the Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza, visitors will be brought on an immersive and thought-provoking journey, ranging from a life-sized mock-up of a home grappling with the effects of drug abuse, to multi-sensory, interactive displays that foster awareness and self-reflection on the global and local drug situation, and the repercussions of drugs on the family and society. Visitors will be able to have a better appreciation of the toll that drug abuse takes on homes and hearts and discover ways to protect themselves and their families. There is also a candlelight display at the exhibition to remember the victims of drug abuse, not only from Singapore but from all over the world – the World Health Organisation reported a staggering 600,000 lives lost to drug abuse in 2019 alone, and each candle symbolises a thousand lives lost annually.

Photos 3 - 4 (CNB): The home exhibition, an immersive life-sized mock-up of a home for visitors to experience how drug abuse can permeate and negatively impact the very spaces that should provide safety and comfort.

Photo 5 (CNB): A family reading about the tragic stories of those who lost their lives due to the actions of drug abusers.

Photo 6 (CNB): Visitors pledging their promises to be drug-free.

Roving exhibitions island-wide from May to July 2024

5. After the exhibition at Ngee Ann City ends on 19 May 2024, the exhibition will make its way across the heartlands of Singapore, extending its reach throughout the community from 24 May to 21 July 2024. The roving exhibits will also include a Sensorial Drug Panel where visitors can see the physical forms of various substances, smell real cannabis exhibits, and learn to identify them to better protect themselves and their loved ones.

Pledge your support and make a promise to be drug-free

6. The public is encouraged to memorialise their commitment to keeping themselves, as well as their families and communities, safe from drug abuse, by attending the events and submitting their pledges to be drug-free on-site. Those who are unable to be present physically can make their pledges online at go.gov.sg/rday2024microsite and have their resolve etched digitally onto the pledge wall.

7. Your commitment matters – together, we can spread awareness and rally support to protect our community from the detrimental harms of drugs that extend beyond the abuser, and show solidarity in our fight against drugs.

CENTRAL NARCOTICS BUREAU
17 May 2024