The Exploitation of Beer Girls in Asia and Africa
Across busy beer gardens in Cambodia, dimly lit alcohol consumption venues of Uganda, and roadside bars in Vietnam, a predatory alcohol industry marketing practice persists – one that the alcohol industry would prefer stay in the shadows. The “beer girls” scheme, a euphemism for the strategic deployment of young women to sell alcohol, continues to be a quiet yet pervasive pillar of Big Alcohol’s global expansion strategy.
The Mechanics of Exploitation
The Beer Girls scheme refers to the use of young women, typically in tight, branded clothing, employed to promote the (heavy) consumption of beer and other alcoholic drinks in bars, restaurants, and informal alcohol consumption venues. Their job? To boost alcohol sales by engaging with male customers, encouraging them to purchase more, and in many cases, consuming alcohol alongside them, and surrendering to many (or all) of their requests – to keep them consuming alcohol.
Often these women are not even employed directly by the alcohol companies. Instead, they are subcontracted through third-party marketing agencies, allowing corporations such as Heineken, AB InBev, Carlsberg, and Diageo to distance themselves from the human rights violations they profit from. In exchange for minimal wages, these women endure constant sexual harassment, physical abuse, and pressure to engage in sexually suggestive behavior.
In Southeast Asia – Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, and Myanmar – and across parts of Africa – including Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, and South Africa – the stories are disturbingly similar. Beer girls are routinely pressured to consume alcohol with customers, placing their health and safety at risk.
The work is often informal, with no access to legal protections, health benefits, or grievance mechanisms.
A Timeline of Exposure and Denial
- 2006: The International Labour Organization (ILO) publishes “Cambodia’s ‘Beer Promotion Girls’: Their Recruitment, Working Conditions and Vulnerabilities“, one of the first reports to expose the exploitation of women beer promoters in Southeast Asia. It documented systemic harassment, lack of labor rights, and health hazards.
- 2010s: Academic studies expose the sexual and reproductive health issues facing Southeast Asian beer promoters (see all studies below).
- March 2018: On March 29, 2018, the Global Fund announced that it had suspended its “partnership” with Heineken. The reason was the beer giant’s exploitation of young women who were being used as “beer girls” to drive sales in ten African countries.
- This decision was prompted by revelation from the author of the upcoming book, “Heineken in Africa: A Multinational Unleashed”, Olivier van Beemen, who published an article in the Dutch publication NRC exposing that the exploitation of beer girls was also rampant in West Africa (not “just” in South-East Asia).
- 2019: Dutch journalist Olivier van Beemen publishes “Heineken in Africa” in English, an explosive investigation revealing Heineken’s use of beer girls in sub-Saharan Africa, linking the practice to corruption, violence, and health risks.
- 2018 to present: NGO reports, including those by CARE Cambodia, Movendi International, and others document forced alcohol consumption and sexual abuse among beer promoters.
- 2020s: Academic studies and civil society initiatives continue to bring attention to and advocate for the termination of the “beer girls” scheme by Big Alcohol. A study published in 2022 study exposed the alcohol industry’s strategy of using young women to promote beer in Benin City, Nigeria, and how sexualized beer marketing, as precarious employment, creates a context of risk for sexual exploitation.
Documented Harms
The harms and human rights violations that young women face when they are working to promote the consumption of Big Alcohol brands are many and severe, including sexual harassment, forced alcohol use, other health risks, economic exploitation, and stigma and social isolation.
| Harm | Description |
|---|---|
| Sexual harassment | Groping, propositioning, and coercion are routine |
| Forced alcohol use | Some beer girls are required to drink alcohol with customers |
| Other health risks | Higher rates of alcohol dependence, STI exposure, and workplace violence |
| Economic exploitation | Low pay, informal contracts, and job insecurity |
| Stigma and social isolation | Women are blamed for the abuses they endure and shamed by communities |
Big Alcohol’s Responsibility
Despite repeated exposure, Big Alcohol continues to benefit. Companies issue public relations statements, vague corporate social responsibility pledges, and publish conduct codes for their subcontractors. Yet, investigations reveal weak enforcement, continued abuses, and a persistent gap between corporate image and reality. The use of third-party labor contractors provides convenient deniability.
This pattern is part of a broader strategy of aggressive market penetration in low- and middle-income countries, where alcohol industry regulation is often insufficient, public health protections are underfunded, and gender norms are easily exploited for commercial gain.
Resistance and Advocacy
Civil society and feminist movements have not remained silent. Organizations such as CARE Cambodia, ILO Better Work, Movendi International, and numerous labor rights groups have documented abuses and demanded change.
In Thailand, partial bans on alcohol promotion by hostesses were enacted. In Cambodia, local NGOs pushed for improved labor conditions and health support for beer promoters. Some women’s groups have successfully mobilized around broader labor protections, highlighting the beer girl issue as emblematic of gendered corporate abuse.
Still, these gains are fragile and often undermined by lack of political will or industry influence. In too many places, the beer girls remain unprotected, unheard, and unseen – even as they help build profits for some of the world’s most powerful alcohol brands.
A Call for Justice
It is time to hold the alcohol industry accountable. Governments must end the practice of beer promoter subcontracting, enforce labor laws, and strengthen protections for women in alcohol-related work. NGOs and public health advocates have an important responsibility to continue to shine a light on these abuses, pushing for both cultural change and legal accountability.
Consumers and investors can also play a role by demanding transparency from alcohol companies and refusing to buy into sanitized corporate messaging that hides exploitation.
The beer girls are not a marketing tool. They are human beings trying to make ends meet, deserving of dignity, safety, and rights. And the world deserves to know the true cost of how Big Alcohol makes its profits.
