By Richard Kagunda

Kasungu, January 28, Mana: It is a Friday night and Kasungu Town is pulsating with nocturnal life. The party mood has been activated and drinking joints are filled to capacity with patrons enjoying their night, emptying bottle by bottle.

At American Filling Station Bar, the dance floor is a busy arena as the drunken patrons – both males and females – surrender their bodies to the blasting sound.

A 16-year-old boy, covering his head with a cowboy hat and sunglasses, sneaks in, defying a signpost restricting under-aged children to enter the bar. The signpost reads: “Ana ochepela zaka 18 asalowe muno” or “persons under the age of 18 are not allowed in these premises”.

He is however quickly noticed and flashed out.

“We do not want children here under any circumstances. We are always alert and we easily identify them when they try to sneak in.

“They will never be successful. They are chased before they do anything inside here because we quickly identify them,” says Gift Rabson a bartender at the drinking joint.

He says the bar ensures at all times – day or night – that under-aged children do not patronize the premises.

“They try to sneak in to buy beers but they are not served. We actually flush them out. We are well aware that this is against the law and that we have a duty to protect children,” he says.

Section 74 of the Liquor Act criminalizes selling alcohol to persons below the age of 18.

At another famous spot, two young girls also unsuccessfully attempt to get into the bar in search of men.

As they try to enter, one of the sex workers hovering in the room notices them and blocks their way in before calling a guard who chases the girls away.

We followed the two girls to inquire about what they intended to do in the bar.

“We stay on our own and do not have any one to support us. So we visit bars searching for men. That is our easy means to surviving,” says one of the girls.

“I am 16 years; my friend is 15. We both live in a rented room. We have to pay rent, buy food and clothes. Where do we get the money?” she wonders.

The younger girl reveals that she resorted to go to the streets after her parents divorced, leaving her with her jobless mother who cannot meet her needs while the other one says she was chased after she refused to be forced into marriage.

“We know we should not be doing this because we are young, but what can we do in these circumstances?” they say.

The girls say life for them has been difficult because they are denied entry into most of the popular joints where they feel they can find better customers.

“Access to most of the bars is difficult because we are chased away. On a lucky day we meet the customers in the streets. But we could be making more money if we had easy access to drinking joints,” they say.

As an agricultural district, Kasungu is a busy agribusiness centre with high circulation of money throughout the year.

Alinafe Phiri of Ndife Amodzi Liquor Shop says besides being a crime, selling alcohol to minors is not good for the general behaviour in the societies.

He says bar owners and attendants must not relax chasing the minors away to protect the good image of the liquor business.

“It must not just be about fearing the law. It must also be about being responsible. We must be responsible enough ensuring that we don’t entertain minors in our premises,” Alinafe says.

A campaign by authorities in the district, in conjunction with owners of drinking joints, to protect children through restrictions in vulnerable places seems to be bearing fruits.

The campaign, which is largely about sensitization and awareness, has seen drinking places pasting messages warning children not to patronize their places. 

Child Protection Coordinator at Kasungu District Council Social Welfare Office, Sam Kamalonda, says the campaign involves various stakeholders including the police, bar owners, parents, pastors and the children themselves to make sure that minors are protected.

“We have intensified this campaign and made sure that every drinking joint has a sign post in front that it does not allow persons below the age of 18 to patronize the premises.

“We expect the bar owners not to sell liquor to children under whatever circumstance. So the efforts go beyond the signposts and so far, our assessment shows the efforts are bearing fruits,” Kamalonda says.

He says the campaign will help contain various cases of child abuse which are rampant in the district.

Kamalonda adds that allowing children in drinking joints exposes them to dangers such as defilement, trafficking and teenage pregnancies.

In 2024, Kasungu recorded 639 cases of sexual abuse against children of which 568 were against females and 71 against males.

According to the Social Welfare Office, the district also registered over 10,000 teenage pregnancies and at least 269 cases of physical abuse against children.

Child marriages were also high at 2,086, child neglect at 2,381 and at least 290 cases of child trafficking were recorded. 

“These statistics are worrying. We need to continue monitoring in all trading centres in the district and thus urge all that are selling alcohol to register their businesses for easy monitoring

“Parents on their part should not run away from responsibility. Some of these children that suffer in streets have their parents alive. Some children will resort to such dangerous routes because the parents are not there for them,” he says.

On his part, District Gender and Development Officer Humphrey Chawezi Longwe says his office has supported the campaign by raising awareness on gender-based violence, including child prostitution and early marriages.

“It is our duty to ensure that the girl child lives a comfortable life. That is why in collaboration with the Municipal Council, we have organized interface meetings with bar and guesthouse owners, market committee chairs and relevant stakeholders.

“These meetings aim at educating and cautioning them against child prostitution and allowing minors to access their premises. We managed to persuade bar owners to display signs at the entrances to restrict the minors from entering in there,” Longwe says.

Longwe adds that the campaign has shown some positive impact in the sense that it has created a spirit of accountability among bar owners and other stakeholders.

“Most bar owners actively ensure that minors do not access their premises. Additionally, outreach exercises organized by Civil Society Organizations, the Police and the Victim Support Unit have reinforced this effort.

“However, we require collective responsibility from all stakeholders and the community at large for us to be fully successful,” he says.

Longwe says his office has also been working towards enforcing child care, protection and justice, aligning efforts with national and district-level gender policies that aim at protecting minors and prevent exploitation.

Public Relations Officer for Kasungu Police, Joseph Kachikho, sends a reminder that selling alcohol to minors is punishable by the laws of Malawi, warning that the law enforcers will not hesitate to make arrests in cases of violation.