Youth rights NGO pushes for ban of sachet alcohol
A local NGO Youth and Children Rights Shield (YOCRIS) is calling upon parliament to pass a legislation that bans the packaging of spirits in sachets which is handy, cheap and readily accessible by the youths.
The YOCRIS Executive Director Bright Kampaundi observes that access to lethal spirit packed in sachets endangers the youth population.
“The spirits have adverse effects of national development and if nothing is done; Malawi stands to lose a sector of the population which would form the majority of the workforce in the next generation,” he said.
Kampaundi says Malawi should take a leaf from Zambia which banned packaging of sachet alcohol.
He said it is imperative to strengthen the law that governs production and consumption of alcohol to protect people who consume alcohol of which the majority are young people.
A 2009 survey by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Non Communicable Diseases shows that over 20 percent of all Malawians consume alcohol.
The WHO study indicated that 60 types of disease and injuries are due alcohol consumption.
The reports state that alcohol cause about 20–30 percent of esophageal cancer, liver cancer, cirrhosis of the liver, homicide, epileptic seizures, and motor vehicle accidents worldwide.
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