19 December 2007
Windhoek — The Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) campaign by the Ministry of Health and Social Services was initiated after a survey conducted by the Directorate of Social Welfare revealed shocking facts about alcohol abuse in the country.
It is estimated that an average Namibian drinker consumes up to 10 litres of alcohol a week and that the average starting age of drinking is ten years.
The survey revealed that 56 per cent of the Namibian population drink alcohol and 8 per cent suffer from alcohol-related illnesses.
Half of Namibian children between 13 and 16 have experimented with alcohol, the researchers found.
The campaign is not yet operational countrywide but a committee headed by the Directorate of Health in the Oshikoto Region has been selected and is engaging churches, municipalities and various non-governmental organisations in the fight against alcohol abuse.
It is assumed that one of the key factors contributing to the drinking epidemic is the low price and ready availability of alcohol in Namibia.
According to a Unicef report titled 'Youth Alcohol Abuse In Namibia', the Khomas Region alone has more than 600 legally registered alcohol outlets including restaurants, shebeens, nightclubs and supermarkets.
Tsumeb CEO Archie Benjamin says the Town Council is concerned about shebeens and club owners who sell alcohol to underage children.
"We have had these concerns and have tried engaging shebeen owners in meetings and through public information campaign and we did request these people not sell alcohol to the youth.
However, this is not an overnight process as it has to begin with educating people first," he said.
"The issue of alcohol abuse by the youth clearly requires aggressive but sensitive interventions as the problem is deep rooted and difficult to combat as it deals with human behaviour."
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