The study was commissioned by the Ministry of Social Work and other NGO's working in this sector. Among the substances used, solvents were found to be most consumed by street children and youth.
Solvents act on the nervous system, causing dizyness, lack of motor co-ordination, and sleepiness.
Solvents are followed by cigarettes, adhesives, paint thinner, marijuana, cocaine and crack, which are consumed by children and youth between the ages of 13 to 18 years of age. Forty-one percent of youth has consumed drugs for over 4 years, which means that startegies geared toward getting kids off the streets need to be specialised along with the resources used for the erradication of drugs in general. According to Cobar, one of the causes behind children leaving their homes is child abuse.