Children’s charity in plea over alcohol

Published on 25/06/2012 03:28

Almost a quarter of Scots have seen someone who was drinking alcohol acting aggressively or violently towards a child, a survey has found.

Launching a campaign to stop alcohol affecting the lives of the young, the charity Children 1st said its study also found that 52 per cent of people have witnessed a person drunk in charge of a child.

Twenty-seven per cent said they did nothing about it because they were not sure what to do.

The charity said that about 80,000 children in Scotland are affected by parental alcohol misuse, and it is urging people to take responsibility to protect youngsters.

Children 1st’s deputy chief executive Alison Todd said: “It is everybody’s responsibility to protect children from violence fuelled by alcohol misuse, particularly as families prepare for the summer holidays.

“There are too many situations which result in a child witnessing violence or bearing the brunt of it themselves.

“Our work with children to help them recover from the trauma caused by abuse and violence has revealed that many have distinct memories from their summer holidays, but often for the wrong reasons.

“Days that should be filled with happiness and laughter are often ruined.”

The campaign, called Wish I Wasn’t Here, is backed by the Scottish Police Violence Reduction Unit and features a postcard from a young boy called Callum who has bad memories of his holidays.

He writes: “We’re having a BBQ at the beach, but I’m really scard [sic]. Mum’s got wine!

“What if she hits me like last time and we get taken away again?

“I’ve got butterflys [sic] in my tummy instead of burgers. I wish I wasn’t here!”