The author of a new study examining the impact of the heroin problem on women and their families in north inner city Dublin has challenged the Government to develop better support structures in the battle against drugs.
The book, Fight Back: Women and Impact of Drug Abuse on Families and Communities by Dr Jo Murphy-Lawless, contains a number of recommendations to ensure women's "activism and caring work" be met by a more robust response from the State.
Dr Murphy-Lawless suggests women should be given more funding for "second-chance" education and access to affordable childcare.
And she also recommends long-term funding and resources for community support work, including summer projects and youth clubs.
The harrowing stories of women whose children and extended families were devastated by drug abuse are told in the book, launched yesterday in Buckingham Street, in Dublin.
The book chronicles the ways local communities have tackled drugs in their own areas in partnership with voluntary and statutory sectors.
Launching the book, the Minister of State with responsibility for the National Drugs Strategy, Mr Noel Ahern, praised the "energy, honesty and determination" of the women.
"It gives us a clearer understanding of the problems, angers and frustrations that exist in areas affected by widespread heroin abuse," he said. "I believe that through the Local Drugs Task Force and the National Drugs Strategy we can address many of the issues raised in the book."
Acting co-ordinator of the North Inner City Drugs Task Force, Mr Mel MacGiobuin, said there was a concern that the decline in funds allocated for development services would mean a return to the worst days of the inner-city drug problem.
"The book shows that if these areas are neglected there are very tragic consequences," he said.
Speaking at the launch, Ms Bernie Howard, a co-ordinator of a local family support group, thanked Dr Murphy-Lawless for her work and said the shared experience provided by family support networks was important.