Kathmandu, Dec 05: About 55 per cent of Nepal's population consumes liquor which has affected children the most in the Himalayan Kingdom as their alcohalic parents are incapable of taking care of them properly, according to a study. Thirty-five per cent children suffer due to alcohalism prevalent in their parents, said a study published by Child Workers In Nepal (CWIN), a non-government organisation dedicated to child welfare.

Parents and guardians who take alcohol or drugs regularly are incapable of meeting the emotional needs of their children, said physician Mathura Prasad Shrestha.

Sixteen per cent of children in Kathmandu leave home due to alcohol use in the family, the study revealed.
Despite the presence of the alcohol prevention act 1999 which prevents selling liquor to children aged below 16 the median age of first exposure to alcohol is 11 years in Nepal.


The study further revealed that 10 per cent of violence against women is attributed to alcohol use by the spouse.

In Nepal, alcohol production contributes to over 50 per cent of total excise duty and more than six per cent share of national revenue.
A research done by CWIN on street children in 2001 found that upto 90 per cent of the 5,000 street children in Nepal were addicted to something, including alcohol.

Bureau Report