Editorial

The campaign against drinking by under-16s, announced by the Ministry of the Family and Social Solidarity, comes not a moment too soon. The campaign is intended to inform the public, especially young people under the age of 16, of the measures contemplated by a new law just approved by Parliament.

The law tightens up the prohibition of the sale of alcohol to minors, by holding not only those who supply under-16s but also the young people themselves responsible for breaking the law. Making young consumers of alcohol liable to the law's sanctions is probably the most effective way of tackling the problem.

Regulations are also being enacted in the coming weeks to make it illegal for alcohol to be sold from so-called bottle shops and confectioneries between 9 p.m. and 8 a.m.

Such measures have long been called for by those who were alarmed by the rise in binge drinking, and in drinking in general, among our young people. In October 2005, we published the results of a survey on this very subject. By margins of over 96 per cent, respondents in our survey were against the selling of alcohol to minors from bars, shops and supermarkets. For 71 per cent, the owners of such establishments were to be held responsible.

Our survey also found that 85 per cent wanted the minimum age for drinking to be raised from 16 to 18. But this has not been provided for in the new law.

Minister Dolores Cristina, at the launching of the information campaign last Thursday, highlighted the fact that Malta was experiencing a serious drinking problem among children under 16. She quoted from the results of a 2003 survey which found that 91 per cent of the final-year secondary schoolchildren who participated in the survey admitted to having consumed alcohol in the previous year, while some 50 per cent said they drank alcohol in excessive amounts - when the comparable European average was 41 per cent.

Ms Cristina rightly called for tougher enforcement of breathalyser tests and for the police to be given the legal means to carry out random tests, and no longer to be required to justify themselves when resorting to them.

The test of the new law, in fact, will come when it comes to its actual enforcement. If enforcement of the law prohibiting smoking in bars and in other enclosed public spaces is anything to go by, then the new law faces a hard time indeed. Smoking too is extremely harmful to health, yet a visit to any crowded bar on a Saturday night, even for a few minutes, ensures that one's clothes reek of tobacco smoke for days. And some people still doubt the existence of passive smoking!

Similarly with under-age drinking. Unless offenders are brought to book in convincing numbers, and penalised accordingly, there is a risk that the law will be ignored and all efforts would be in vain.

Again, in our 2005 survey, we found that only 30 per cent thought that the prohibition of the sale of alcohol to under-16s is being observed. It would be interesting to ask a similar question a few months after the stricter measures come into effect.

Having said that, the tougher measures are undoubtedly welcome, but the information campaign should not only focus on the penalties. It should rather emphasise the educational aspect and particularly make the young people themselves realise the dangers of alcohol abuse and the harm they would be doing themselves.

They should be made aware of the dangers of excessive consumption, since in some cases, especially adolescent girls, the level of tolerance to alcohol among young people can be low indeed. The practice of "open bars" at mass events frequented by young people should be stopped forthwith. We have already had more than one bitter experience of the effects of drinking on young people.

Excessive drinking leads to rowdiness, undisciplined behaviour, and sexual abuse - not to mention the effects on a person's health - and the degree of danger is multiplied in the case of young people. It would be a good idea for talks to be given in schools highlighting the health risks of drinking, while a television campaign should be directed at families where drinking of spirits by children is commonplace, if not actually encouraged.

The tougher measures, if properly applied, could also have a beneficial effect on the thousands of foreign youngsters who frequent Paceville and other places of entertainment particularly in summer. Those, especially from northern countries, used to strict laws governing the sale of alcohol to minors, are often surprised by the situation they find in Malta when it comes to the unrestricted sale of drinks to young people. Let us hope that these surprises will now end.