Alcohol and Marijuana. Participants commonly linked alcohol mtonjani and marijuana to the occurrence of unintended pregnancies. Reportedly, the local alcohol breweries (where marijuana is also readily available) are open almost daily and are frequented by both genders. Typically, women who partake are unmarried, while both married and unmarried men participate. Men who drink this strong alcohol become uninhibited and freely have sex with women there. The sex is usually unprotected, resulting in unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. Moreover, rape is common. Unfortunately, most men refuse to be responsible for pregnancies conceived from sex at beer drinking places. Refusing to accept responsibility for their actions, they say they do not remember having sex with the woman because they were drunk. As a result, some women are left to deal with their pregnancies alone. Furthermore, they reported that some school girls drop out of school due to unintended pregnancies resulting from sex with men the local breweries. Once a girl becomes pregnant in this way, her value as a young woman diminishes in the eyes of the community. Therefore, some of these pregnancies end up in unsafe abortions or baby abandonment. Moreover, participants reported that abortion is not viewed favorably in the community. When the girl delivers her baby, her chances of continuing with school are minimal, as she usually ends up working in tea plantations to support herself and the baby. In addition, they reported that it is the women who are frequently ridiculed by the community for partaking in drinking and allowing drunk men to have sex with them. They say the woman has a responsibility to refuse sex. On the contrary, the boys or men responsible for the pregnancies continue their normal lives. The focus group participant below explains about the influence of alcohol: FGD 4 P5 (adult male): “Especially the ‘mtonjani,’ eish it’s not something small in bringing problems … You find a normal young girl who is a school goer; well kempt and dressed yet is going to drinking joints. (P7: Yeah). Three months down the line, you find that she’s pregnant...Her value is gone there.”
Alcohol and Marijuana. The sale and/or consumption of alcohol is forbidden unless the Client has received permission from the Facilities Booking staff and has obtained a Special Occasion permit/liquor license. All staff hired to serve alcohol must supply proof of SmartServe certification and photo ID. Failure to comply with LLBO regulations will result in the immediate cancellation of the rental agreement, notification of authorities and removal from the area. No refund will apply. The use and/or consumption of marijuana on facility property is strictly prohibited.
