Underage youths get their drinks in Paceville

As merrymakers flock to the bars in the run-up to Christmas, The Sunday Times exposes the scale of underage drinking. Patrick Cooke and Kristina Chetcuti visit Paceville’s bars and clubs with a 16-year-old boy.

It’s just before 11 p.m. on a Friday night in Paceville as a boisterous crowd of drunken 14- to 16-year-olds spills out onto the street; the girls in skimpy outfits, the boys all hair gel and shiny belt buckles. High fives are exchanged and some hold onto each other for support as one youth vomits near a signpost.

The mass of youngsters – up to 100 of them – have congregated at an establishment on Triq Paceville that serves as a pizzeria by day and a bar at night, lured by an offer of €14 for unlimited drinks between 9 p.m. and midnight; this makes wines, beers and spirits affordable for the teenage wallet.

“These are my peers, most of them are 15- or 16-year-olds, a few may be younger,” confirms James*, 16, who agreed to accompany Sunday Times journalists between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m. to Paceville and St Julian’s on a Friday night to witness the prevalence of underage drinking.

“Teenagers come here because it’s cheaper to drink. Later we’ll try to get into the mainstream clubs and there we won’t need to buy alcohol.”

For those at Junior College, drinking money can come from their student stipend; those still at secondary school depend on pocket money, says James.

Since October last year it has been illegal to sell alcohol to anybody below the age of 17, but this law is wilfully ignored at this outlet, and the teens take full advantage, with a deep crowd at the bar.

The mood is loud and festive, yet the presence of a frail old woman looking down on the crowd from her balcony above the establishment illustrates that the area is residential. Perhaps 70 years separate her from the teens, but the look of bewilderment on her face suggests the youngsters exist in another world, in another lifetime.

The police are not far from the scene – a group of six or seven congregate about 100 metres away at Paceville Circus – but they do not pay a visit.

James, with his dental brace and teenage complexion, does not look older than 16; but he was admitted and was served alcohol without question in the six establishments visited on the night – one of which was a gentlemen’s club that claims not to admit any under-18s.

He entered each establishment on his own, walking ahead of the journalists and past prominent signs prohibiting entrance to under-17s, and he always bought drinks from the bar alone, without once being asked for identification.

“If you get past security at the door then that’s it, you’re never asked to show ID by the bar staff,” he explains.

James says that sometimes he and his friends are barred entry from the mainstream clubs: “If it’s a busy night, the bouncers are strict. If it’s a quiet night, chances are we’d be allowed in.”

The night in question must have been relatively quiet as in each establishment James was greeted by friends his own age, many of whom were worse for wear.

One upstairs club that James had described as notoriously difficult for underage revellers to access was chock-a-block with fresh-faced teens determined to make the most of gaining entry.

Later in a St Julian’s pub, the clientele seemed to be entirely made up of drunken teens, some of whom looked even younger than 15.

James admits his friends – 15- and 16-year-olds – visit gentlemen’s clubs because “some of them are easier to access than normal clubs” and they occasionally pay for a lap dance. “But not the nude ones – they’re too expensive.”

Bar and club hopping is the norm for many 15- and 16-year-olds: “This is what we do every weekend. Although to be honest I’m getting bored with it,” says James, who is also actively involved in a Church youth organisation.

Statistics demonstrate that Maltese teens drink more than many of their European counterparts. The most recent European School Survey Project on Alcohol and her Drugs (ESPAD) – a study conducted every four years in 35 European countries, the last one being in 2007 – showed that 87 per cent of Maltese 15- to 16-year-olds reported having drunk alcohol during the past year, compared to the ESPAD average of 83 per cent.

Moreover, 20 per cent of Maltese 15- to 16-year-olds claimed they drank alcohol on at least 10 occasions in the past 30 days – the third highest behind Austria and the Netherlands. The ESPAD average was 11 per cent.

And 57 per cent in Malta had drunk five or more drinks on one occassion in the past 30 days (binge drinking), second only to the Isle of Man.

James and his peers usually go out around 9.30 p.m. and parental curfew is generally between midnight and 1 a.m. “We either organise vans if we’re all from the same area or our parents pick us up.”

He considers his parents to be strict compared with others, but “it’s taken for granted that once you reach fifth form you go to Paceville. It’s what we talk about on Monday morning. If you’re 15, you’d be the odd one out if you didn’t go to Paceville.”

Mario Borg*, the parent of a teenage girl who started going to Paceville at the age of 14 under strict parental conditions, explains why he let her go. “I have always trusted her absolutely and I’d like to think I brought her up with enough self-respect that she would not allow herself to lose control or vomit over her clothes.”

He believes peer pressure coupled with the stresses of schooling and clever marketing make boozing in Malta’s premier nightlife district attractive to underage teens.

“There are bars in Paceville that offer cheap trays of shooters and let customers roll dice for further discounts. Such offers are obviously not aimed at my generation; it’s all about seducing the younger crowd,” he says.

Mario would like to see bars being a lot stricter about serving alcohol to underage teens. “In the US it is impossible for young people to buy alcohol without showing ID. I don’t understand why the same thing doesn’t happen here,” he says.

A concerned mother who also allows her underage teen to visit Paceville under strict conditions thinks better enforcement is needed.

“It’s criminal that the authorities do not enforce laws on underage drinking. It needs to come for the top. At the moment everyone gets away with it and the result is our children are drinking alcohol at a ridiculously young age,” she says.

But Philip Fenech, nightclub owner and head of the Malta Chamber for Small and Medium Enterprises - GRTU’s hospitality and leisure section, disputes that police and bar owners turn a blind eye to underage drinking in Paceville:

“The ultimate responsibility lies with parents. There is no room for underage children in Paceville. Lots of establishments are upgrading and as a result, underage drinking is a common concern because we don’t want drunken youths hanging around causing trouble. It discourages the quality business the area is trying to attract.

“Therefore, security and the police are very vigilant and police supervision is very intense in Paceville compared with other places.

“The problems are not inside the bars or the centre of Paceville but some problems remain on the outskirts of the area where underage children congregate when they are unable to access the clubs. We suspect that people legally old enough to purchase alcohol are buying it from the bottle shops and then distributing it to underage people,” he says.

*Names have been changed.

The law and its enforcement

It is illegal for anyone under the age of 17 to procure, consume or possess alcohol in any public place.

It is illegal for anyone under 17 to falsely represent his age for the purpose of consuming, receiving, procuring or attempting to procure alcohol.

It is illegal for any person to sell alcohol to, or purchase alcohol on behalf of someone who is under 17.

It is illegal for any person to serve or supply alcohol to someone under 17 in any public place.

Under 17s are not to be allowed inside a place of entertainment, and young people over 17 shall prior to admission to any such place produce and show their identity card to the proprietor.

Any proprietor who is found in breach shall liable to a fine of €233 for every person under 17 found inside his place of entertainment.

When asked whether the government plans to increase law enforcement when it comes to underage drinking, a spokesman for the Home Affairs Ministry told The Sunday Times:

“Last year’s amendments to the Maltese laws are clear evidence of the government’s concern over underage drinking in Malta.

“The police force shall continue to monitor this complex sector and, if need be, introduce new measures when necessary with a view to further curbing this problem.”

The police did not respond to questions about the number of offences this year.

Why are underage teens boozing?

Primary factors which lead to underage drinking include:

• personal issues;

• experimentation;

• peer pressure (especially when one’s friends are older);

• difficult family situation;

• inability to deal with these issues on a personal level;

• acceptance of such lifestyle within their own environment;

• lack of coping skills.

Source: Sedqa and Health Promotion Unit.

Health and social consequences

A number of underage drinkers – sometimes children aged 14 – are admitted to hospital after alcohol-related problems. Mary Bezzina, nursing officer in charge of the Emergency Ambulance Service at Mater Dei Hospital, told The Sunday Times: “On any weekend night we send the ambulance some six times to Paceville.

“Usually it’s either for drunkenness – sometimes we get to see children as young as 14 in an inebriated state – or for fights and accidents which would be alcohol related. The number of alcohol-related injuries is tangibly on the increase as can be seen from the rise in alcohol-related visits to Accident and Emergency department at night.”

Teachers are also on the alert for persistent signs of alcohol abuse. Jesmond Schembri, operations director at the government drug and alcohol abuse agency Sedqa, said these signs might include looking very tired on Monday mornings, increased lethargy at school and significant deterioration in academic achievement. Such students are normally referred to Sedqa.

Apart from the physical and psychological effects that alcohol abuse leaves on any person, irrespective of age, underage drinking has other consequences. “It can lead to risky sexual behaviour which may lead to pregnancy, difficult and violent behaviour, deterioration in academic achievement, petty crime, among other things,” said Mr Schembri.

What can be done to curb underage drinking?

Sedqa’s message is that there should be a more concerted effort by parents, educators and the industry to make young people aware of the negative outcomes of excessive drinking.

The agency encourages parents to listen more to their children, know who their friends are, and put more emphasis on communication while committing themselves to spending more quality time with the family.

In secondary schools, the concepts of alcohol dependency, tolerance and addiction are tackled in Form 2 in Personal and Social Development lessons. PSD Education Officer Stephen Camilleri said: “The topic is not taught just by giving information but rather, it is interwoven with developing skills such as being assertive, decision-making, not bowing to peer pressure.

“Attitudes such as opting for a healthy lifestyle and observing the law are also discussed,” he said.

The situation could be improved by the publication and the eventual implementation of a National Alcohol Policy, Sedqa said.

A long-time member of Alcoholics Anonymous in Malta said it was parents’ duty to educate their children how to drink; how to appreciate the taste of the drink and not the effect; and how to avoid peer pressure.

Edwin Vassallo, chairman of the Parliamentary Social Affairs Committee, also maintains that responsibility for children’s behaviour ultimately starts at home:

“We can’t solve every social problem with more legislation and enforcement. As a society we have to engage in dialogue with young people and ask them why are they drinking and why are they moving away from traditional values, starting in the family,” he said.