The Gozo Bishop and the parish priests of the island have appealed to the authorities not to close an eye to drug and alcohol abuse in Gozo and to enforce the law to protect the young.

Bishop Mario Grech and the College of Parish Priests said in a statement that laws which ban the entry of children and adolescents in places of entertainment are hardly being enforced. Information in Parliament showed that since 2014 only one under-age person was found inside a discotheque in Gozo.

Yet, photos uploaded on social media showed adolescents as young as 12 in places of entertainment with adults, they said.

These matters had been going on for a long time and were harming society and the character formation of the young. The law, the bishop and parish priests insisted, needed to be enforced.

Furthermore, more resources should be allocated to NGOs which work with youths so that they could launch campaigns against this abuse. 

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