There are plans to establish a counseling team to provide youth outreach services in Dili, especially to young men who drink on the street.
The plan is an initiative of the Catholic Church and the Government, through the Secretariat of State for Youth and Sports (SSYS).
Secretary of State Leovigildo Costa Hornai said SSYS had held discussions with the bishops about the situation facing young people in the country.
“We will approach them (youth) without the police,” he said.
The program aims to prevent human trafficking, both inside and outside the country, drug use and promiscuous behavior, which often leads to early marriage, said Hornai.
He said the main cause of this behavior among youth was a lack of moral education and parental discipline.
He said the counseling team will consist of psychology personnel and religious representatives who have knowledge about youth issues and experience in helping them deal with their problems.
The Government has indicated it would provide transportation for team members at night so that they could conduct their activities in the city.
Regarding the phenomena of youths committing suicide by hanging, he said this not only happened in Timor, but was a human problem that also occurred in other developing countries.
He therefore called on young people to fill their time with positive activities, adding that suicide was not a solution to their problems.
“Even though we are very poor, don’t have any money, feel frustrated because of the lack of jobs, this is not the way to kill ourselves – and it’s even worse to kill ourselves because of love,” he said.
He said the government is making efforts to improve the sport sector in every municipality so that young people had an outlet to help them deal with the problems they face.
President of the Timor-Leste Youth Parliament Alumni (ATLYP) Zaulino da Silva said suicide was a very serious issue and family support was crucial to prevent it.
“We continue to raise awareness and provide training to young people so that they can make the right decisions for themselves, in particular to respect and love their life,” he said.
He also called on the government to conduct a study into the factors behind cases of suicide by hanging so that it can be prevented.
He also urged young people experiencing problems in their life to talk about the issues with their family, friends and other close relatives.
