Rwanda National Police

Two people were arrested Friday night in City of Kigali for allegedly serving alcoholic beverages to minors.

This was during Police operations to enforce the law on child protection.

At least nine under-aged boys and girls were caught taking alcoholic drinks in four separate bars and night clubs.

The bars and clubs in question were also closed, as a policy.

Those arrested include the manager of VIP Bar, Selemani Hagenimana and the manager of Service Club identified as Innocent Ndayisenga.

Two under aged girls were found taking alcohol in the two bars located in Muhima, Nyarugenge District .
Other closed bars include Carioka in Nyarugunga and New Hirwa in Remera, in Kicukiro and Gasabo districts, respectively.

Four minors were found drinking alcoholic beverages in Carioka while three others were caught in New Hirwa. Owners of the two bars fled.

The operations came few hours after Rwanda National Police (RNP) held a meeting with owners of bars and night clubs in Kigali over the same issue.

The law relating to the protection of the child, in its article 27, states that a person, who sells alcoholic beverages or tobacco to a child, causes or encourages a child to drink alcoholic beverages, to smoke or to go to bars commits an offence.

Upon conviction, he or she is liable to imprisonment for a term of not less than three months but less than six months and a fine of between Rwf100, 000 and Rwf200, 000.

Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Marie-Gorrette Umutesi, warned adults  against giving alcohol to anyone under 18 years of age, or letting them into night clubs.

"We all have the responsibility to protect children from all dangers, including alcohols and narcotics. We urge owners, managers, security guards and all employees of bars and entertainment spots to take this into account; short of that, someone responsible will be held accountable and their businesses closed," CIP Umutesi warned.

Health experts say young people’s brains appear to be more sensitive to damage from alcohol but less sensitive to some of the side-effects of alcohol.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) highlights four broad categories of risk-taking behaviour that are consistently documented to be associated with excessive alcohol consumption in young people; high-level intoxication that results in loss of consciousness and risk of death, accidents, risky sexual behaviour, including unprotected sexual intercourse resulting in sexually transmitted infections or unplanned pregnancies, and sexual intercourse that young people later regret.

Physical harm caused by alcoholism, includes liver damage, cancer, gastrointestinal damage, immunodeficiency, cardiovascular disease, abdominal obesity and neurological harm.

According to WHO, these are rarely diagnosed in young people but manifest in later adulthood when the body becomes less able to repair and regenerate in response to repeated high-level exposure to alcohol.