Excessive alcohol consumption among youth during Owru Yari

The images don’t lie: every year, during the New Year’s Eve celebration in downtown Paramaribo and beyond, there is excessive alcohol consumption, primarily among young people. The most recent Owru Yari Fest in the heart of Paramaribo was no different, although the organizers are not to blame for this. However, it highlights how easily young people turn to alcohol, but more importantly, how irresponsibly alcohol sales are handled.
At various locations, including Maagden-, Dominee-, Steenbakkerij-, Jodenbree-, and Zwartenhovenbrugstraten, alcohol was sold on December 31. Many partygoers took full advantage of the opportunity, but there were also revelers who brought their own drinks to the venues. Among them were many teenagers who proved difficult to control, resulting in drunk youths, notably many girls.
Without trying to excuse this, District Commissioner (dc) Ricardo Bhola, who is responsible for granting permits for activities in the downtown area, told Suriname suriname upon request that New Year’s Eve is a special occasion worldwide.
He explained that the Owru Yari Fest organizers have a permit to hold activities within a designated zone; within this zone, there are also individuals who are licensed to sell alcoholic beverages.
“What happens outside that zone is beyond our sight. I’m talking about the municipal service,” clarified dc Bhola. He added that the municipal service was not fully staffed on New Year’s Day, due to the festive atmosphere of the people. However, the mayor made sure that a small group of municipal officers monitored the activities in the city center. Dc Bhola was pleased that things went relatively smoothly.
However, the mayor emphasized: “If people consume alcoholic drinks on that day, it’s their free choice. I can’t control anyone. We should discourage alcohol consumption, but on that day, it’s very hard to control. It’s a chaotic and confusing situation.”
Dc Bhola further noted that even though alcohol consumption is prohibited, people hide the alcohol well or transfer it into other bottles or containers.

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