AS Mzansi marks the end of Child Protection Week, the Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance in SA believes stricter booze regulations can make the country a safer place for children.
The alliance said it was concerned with the link between harmful or hazardous drinking and the abuse of children.
“A number of independent studies have also established that alcohol is a significant contributory factor to the physical and psychological abuse of children. There are strong relationships between alcohol and interpersonal violence in general,” said the alliance’s director, Maurice Smithers.
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He said teaching the youth not to drink was not enough.
“There also needs to be a change in South Africa’s drinking culture and how we normalise alcohol as something that is fun and aspirational, encouraging young people to assume that alcohol is a natural and necessary part of life,” Smithers said.
The Teddy Bear Foundation’s Dr Shaheda Omar said their organisation has observed at their clinics that there was a clear link between harmful drinking and the physical, emotional and sexual abuse of children.
“What we have experienced is that many children are deprived of basic care, like not receiving food, health care and education, due to excessive drinking on the part of their caregivers,” Omar added.
