Alcohol Issues Newsletter – No. 40

Alcohol Issues Newsletter November 21 – November 25, 2022

Most Popular Alcohol Issues on the News Center

Alcohol Issues Special Feature – No. 40

Special Feature for International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

How the products and practices of alcohol companies harm the health and rights of women and girls

November 25 marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, a day created to raise public awareness of the paramount problem of violence towards women.

Most of us care for the safety and health of women and girls. Whether it be ourselves, women in our communities, or abroad, we want women to be protected from harm. We want to live and work in healthy and safe environments alongside our loved ones. 

Over the years, the alcohol industry has strategically implemented sales tactics that expose young women to sexual exploitation and dangerous working conditions.

Predatory practices of alcohol companies fueling violence

Big Alcohol objectifies women to sell more alcohol and maximize profits. Studies have revealed two strategies alcohol companies use that exploit women:

• Sexualizing women in advertisements.
• Hiring “beer promotion girls”, in low-income countries in Southeast Asia and Western Africa.

Studies show that these predatory practices of the alcohol industry place women at significant risk for sexual assault and violence.

The alcohol industry targets women and girls

The alcohol industry attempts to convert more women to consume their products – specifically in countries of the global South where most women live alcohol-free. After years of objectifying women to sell alcohol to men now, the alcohol industry attempts to hijack feminism and women’s empowerment to sell alcohol to women.

The link between alcohol and gender-based violence

Studies have revealed how alcohol fuels gender-based violence across the world. Below we include case examples from the United States (U.S.), South Africa, and Bolivia.

The alcohol industry is responsible for the harm their products and practices cause including fueling epidemic levels of violence against women. However, alcohol companies continue to not only avoid this responsibility but recently try to position themselves as an “ally” for women’s rights.

The alcohol norm and workplace harm

Harmful alcohol norms at workplaces are placing women in harm’s way. Including forcing them to use dangerous levels of alcohol to keep their jobs, and increasing the risk of sexual assault and rape.

Understanding alcohol harm as a feminist issue

Big Alcohol objectifies and sexualizes women to sell alcohol to men. At the same time, the alcohol industry tries to hijack feminism and the women’s rights cause to market alcohol products to women.

Meanwhile, alcohol products still harm women’s health more and continue to fuel violence against women. This is why alcohol harm is a feminist issue.

Movendi International has exposed how the alcohol industry harms women’s health and rights in this overview page.

The Alcohol Issues Podcast

S1 E9: Understanding Alcohol Harm as Feminist Issue

In this episode of the Alcohol Issues Podcast Host, Maik Dünnbier talks with Kristina Sperkova, the President of Movendi International. This is a deep dive into alcohol issues through a gender and Women’s Rights lens.

They go into detail about how the alcohol norm and gender norms overlap and the lessons that can be drawn from discussing the overlaps; talk about the role of alcohol marketing in fueling violence and fomenting the oppression of women; and discuss the solutions that are available to help advance women’s rights by addressing alcohol.

You can find this episode and every brand new episode, including the show notes with background material from our News Center, wherever you get your podcasts: 

1. Apple podcasts,
2. Google podcasts,
3. Spotify and 
4. on Podbean.

Source Website: Keep Updated With Movendi International