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'Saving the youth': Children and young people as moral subjects in the Philippines' punitive drug regime.

Background: The Philippines has one of the must punitive drug regimes in the world, as evidenced not just by Rodrigo Duterte's drug war but previous anti-drug campaigns. This article examines the place of 'the youth' in the longstanding moral panic around drugs and drug policy in the Philippines. Me...

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Published in:Drugs: Education, Prevention & Policy Vol. 32; no. 4; pp. 308 - 321
Main Authors: Lasco, Gideon, Abesamis, Luis Emmanuel A.
Format: research tables/charts Journal Article
Published: Taylor & Francis Ltd Aug2025
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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      dt: Aug2025
      vid: 32
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      pub: Taylor & Francis Ltd
      place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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        10.1080/09687637.2024.2408486
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        atl: 'Saving the youth': Children and young people as moral subjects in the Philippines' punitive drug regime.
      aug:
        au:
          Lasco, Gideon
          Abesamis, Luis Emmanuel A.
        affil: Knowledge, Technology, and Innovation Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
      sug:
        subj:
          Drug and Narcotic Control Legislation and Jurisprudence
          Morals
          Politics
          Substance Use Disorders Prevention and Control
          Substance Use Disorders Prevention and Control
          Criminal Justice
          Philippines
          Human
          Male
          Female
          Child
          Adolescence
          Discourse Analysis
          Descriptive Statistics
          Poverty
          Public Policy
          Government Agencies
          Child: 6-12 years
          Adolescent: 13-18 years
          Male
          Female
      ab: Background: The Philippines has one of the must punitive drug regimes in the world, as evidenced not just by Rodrigo Duterte's drug war but previous anti-drug campaigns. This article examines the place of 'the youth' in the longstanding moral panic around drugs and drug policy in the Philippines. Methods: This article uses critical discourse analysis to analyze figurations of young people across three distinct periods in the Philippines' contemporary history: Ferdinand Marcos Sr.'s early dictatorship (1972–1975), Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's presidency (2001–2010), and Rodrigo Duterte's administration (2016–2022). Results: In all three periods, young people were simultaneously invoked as a group that needs saving) and as a group that needs surveillance and discipline. Further, across the three periods, both the youth and drug use were enfolded into larger socio-political discourses (e.g. Martial Law; corruption and poverty; anti-elite politics). Conclusion: The ambivalence in the ways in which young people are treated in drug policy reflects and reinforces their societal construction as passive victims. Interrogating and challenging the ways in which young people figure in 'morality politics' can pave the way for meaningful youth engagement in drug policies and programs.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        research
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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