Links between alcohol and domestic abuse
Stabroek News
February 20, 2002

Dear Editor,

It was interesting to read that the EU has expressed its concern over violence against women, and yet the same EU has given 60 million US dollars to the development of the rum industry in the CARIFORUM countries.

In Guyana, many people in rural communities especially have said and continue to state that there are links between alcohol consumption and the incidence of violence against women and interpersonal violence generally. In Europe, some of the public education materials even allude to the 'normally he is nice,

except when he has a few beers'syndrome.

The EU no doubt intends to support poverty eradication in the Caribbean but surely this must be at no cost to human development. Sixty million US dollars could go a far way towards eradicating violence against women.

The EU has no doubt to carefully examine all issues pertaining to human development and to prioritise on the allocation of funds to deal with these issues.

Yours faithfully,

Vidyarath Kissoon