Against the background of the increase in drug use in Raqqa, the local women's council of the northern Syrian city has launched a campaign for drug prevention and education. The focus is on educational lectures that not only deal with the consequences of drug use and addiction on the mental and physical health of users, but above all with the effects on society.

The drug problem in Syria is not new. The drug trade has been flourishing since the Syrian crisis, which has been ongoing since 2011 and has developed from initially peaceful demonstrations into a nationwide conflagration. Particularly in Raqqa, which became a centre of terror as the capital of the self-proclaimed "Caliphate" of the ISIS. Many people seem to believe they can forget the pain of war through drugs.

"Drug use is a major challenge for social coexistence. It is about the mental and physical health of the individual, his environment, and the financial consequences. But the most important thing is that these effects are not only felt by the users themselves, but also in their social environment and thus in society as a whole," explains Awatif Isa of Raqqa Women's Council. She says that timely education must take place before "the child falls into the well". This is why the educational lectures and seminars are not only held in schools. The activists - 250 women are now taking part in the campaign - also hold direct talks with parents and deal with the issue in other places.

Posters have been put up almost everywhere in the city to provide objective and easily understandable information about drugs. "We need a broad social consensus on this topic and attentive attention," says Isa.

This weekend, the action plan for the month of February will be drawn up together. Raqqa's civil society is also participating in the campaign.