Rights vs. Responsibilities: Tackling underage drinking

Many teens who drink alcohol and cause disturbances often refer to their rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. However, Tristelle Karae, the Child Social Welfare Coordinator from the Ministry of Justice and Community Services, says that rights come with responsibilities and these must go hand in hand. Teens who drink underage and go clubbing have parents. Educational events often stress that education begins at home and that parents are the first teachers. Karae believes that parents must be accountable for their children’s wellbeing. Last month, Colonel Robson Iavro, Commissioner of the Vanuatu Police Force (VPF), urged nightclub owners to implement stricter checks to prevent underage drinking. During the recent teachers’ strike, the Commissioner noted an increase in teenagers in public spaces and expressed concern that some might attempt to buy alcohol and enter nightclubs. He called on nightclub owners to enforce age restrictions and conduct thorough ID checks. Ms Karae agrees with Commissioner Iavro and believes that nightclub and bottle shop owners should ask for ID when selling alcohol or admitting patrons. She reminds all nightclub and shop owners that Vanuatu’s Liquor Law sets the legal drinking age at 18 years. Karae also suggests that the Port Vila City Council (PVCC) should introduce a law to regulate liquor and nightclubs and enforce penalties for non-compliance. She questions why such measures are not enforced and who benefits from this lack of enforcement. She highlights health issues related to alcohol consumption, including mental health concerns. In response to the rise in unsupervised teenagers, police presence in public areas has increased. Karae sees this as a positive step in addressing underage drinking. Pascal de Gaillande of Club Lit told the Vanuatu Daily Post that they stopped allowing underage teens into their club years ago. De Gaillande adds that the teachers’ strike and their nightclub are unrelated to the issue of underage drinking. He believes the problem lies with parents, shops selling alcohol to minors, the law, and both government and police. A staff member from a popular shop in Tassiriki confirmed to the Daily Post that they sell alcohol to high school students, many of whom are underage. The staff member, who wished to remain anonymous, said that all employees, including the shop owner, are aware of the laws but continue selling alcohol as the owner has not instructed them to stop, and staff fear losing their jobs if they speak out. Brother Bakery at Freshwota 1, which also sells alcohol, has a strict policy requiring ID for alcohol purchases. An anonymous police officer stated that concerns about shops selling alcohol to minors can be reported with evidence such as video recordings or photos. A regular nightclub customer, who also wished to remain anonymous, said the clubs are often full of high school students. He claimed that staff are more interested in profits than checking the age of patrons. The returned seasonal worker compared local enforcement in Port Vila unfavourably with Australia, suggesting that local authorities might be accepting bribes or free drinks from shop and nightclub owners to ignore these issues.