Researchers at the Royal Academy of Cambodia have suggested that the working group responsible for managing alcohol advertising consider implementing additional measures to restrict advertising. These measures should be easy to enforce and effective in preventing children and youth from being enticed into consuming alcohol.
During a recent public forum, they stated that while Cambodia is not yet able to completely ban alcohol advertising, it should be restricted. This includes allowing only the brand and logo of the alcoholic beverage, prohibiting associations with prizes, the use of celebrities and influential individuals and digital advertising, among other measures.
The researchers believe that the implementation of Prakas No. 084 on the definition of procedures, methods and measures for managing alcohol product advertising is not sufficiently effective in preventing children and youth from being enticed into consuming alcohol, according to a press release from NGO Cambodia Movement for Health (CMH).
CMH noted that 66 per cent of alcohol advertisements on television between 6 and 8pm were associated with prizes, promotional drinking phrases, young people drinking together and images of celebrities holding alcohol bottles, among other things, which violate Principle 6 of the Prakas.
“Over 60 per cent of alcohol advertisements are located closer than 200 metres to educational institutions, which is contrary to Principle 7 of the Prakas,” it added.
The NGO also found that over 80 per cent of alcohol product promotions in electronic or digital forms or social media did not design pages specifying the prohibition of minors from viewing, as stipulated in the Prakas.
“More than half of alcohol advertisements did not include educational messages, as indicated in Principle 9 of the Prakas,” it added.
According to the Ministry of Health, the negative impacts of alcohol consumption include over 200 diseases, traffic accidents, violence and financial losses, all of which have a negative impact Cambodia’s human capital.
