Re: International Conference on alcohol &HIV

October 12, 2010

Dear Coordinator,

It is an interesting summary and what is more interesting is the statement

" women's risk of gender-based and sexual violence is also increased by their

partner's alcohol consumption " .

The summary states this and goes on to surmise and rightly so that " Therefore,

without addressing gender issues, efforts to reduce alcohol-related sexual-risk

behaviour might only be partly successful. "

The question that goes begging is 'why not reduce the availability of

alcohol so that there is a limit to what a person drinks?.

I am not suggesting prohibition but if one looks at the past, the community has

activities that allowed social drinking and it was controlled. With the removal

of societal controls, easy availability of alcohol and a major surrogate

advertising blitz, alcohol consumption has gone through the roof.

People are profiting from this and the government's are pressurized by the money

power of these companies that any effort to fight it is herculean. So instead of

correcting a simple supply problem, we are allowing supply, and trying to change

gender equations.

Again, I appreciate that gender equations need to change but let us also bell

the cat at the same time. Why does such a conference not come out with a

advocacy note that says the amount of liquor produced in India at this time be

capped with a 10% reduction every year from now onwards till we reach 50% level.

Why doesn't someone work out the price curve above which spurious liquor will

begin to get produced?

I would suggest we take the bull by the horns or we will be a talk shop for

ever.

regards

Sasi

Sasi Kumar

e-mail: <sasiontheweb@...>

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