On International Women’s Day IOGT International and member organizations from around the world are rallying to step up actions under this year’s theme “Equality for women is progress for all”.
Identifying alcohol harm as an obstacle for equality for women, IOGT International and member organizations worldwide launch the next step of the Inspire Freedom campaign.
Seen with the eyes of women and girls, the world we live in has an alcohol problem,” says Kristina Sperkova, Vice President of IOGT International.
With the latest stepping up of our Inspire Freedom Campaign, we – together with our member organizations – reach a new level in our efforts to reduce and eliminate the obstacles posed by alcohol harm that women and girls are facing,” adds Ms. Sperkova.
Evidence shows that globally every third woman suffers from gender-based violence.
These findings send a powerful message that violence against women is a global health problem of epidemic proportions,” said Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General, World Health Organization. More attention ought to be given to prevention.
In many parts of the world up to 80% of violence against women is alcohol-related. Gender-based violence affects girls and young women, working women and women from precarious conditions, as well as elderly women.
- In the USA parents convicted of child abuse are three times more likely (in case of mothers) and ten times more likely (in case of fathers) to be alcoholics.
- In Brazil, 70% of all cases of intimate-partner violence are alcohol-related.
- In Rwanda, focus groups of women report that alcohol is the number one risk factor for domestic violence.
- In Australia 40% of cases of physical and/ or sexual assault of women are alcohol-related.
- And in England and Wales the costs of intimate partner violence amount to £5.7 billion every year, where perpetrators consume in 32% of all cases.
A significant preventive impact can be achieved by tackling the risk factor alcohol,” explains Ms. Sperkova.
And that is what we stand up for and literally are shouting out for together with our global and local Inspire Freedom Campaign.”
The campaign aims to inspire freedom through empowering local civil society for advocacy, through providing tools for creative use of public space, by promoting the brand Magic Drink that helps preventing alcohol-related violence against women and through cooperation with the Inspire Freedom Champions.
These community-based actions add up to a global campaign promoting safety at home, the end of de-humanizing marketing practices by the global alcohol industry, as well as freedom for women and girls in public spaces and their freedom to live up to their full potential.
We believe that investing in the freedom for women is the best investment in the and for the world,” highlights Ms. Sperkova.
— END