Alcohol Action Ireland press release, Wednesday 22 October 2025
Alcohol Action Ireland (AAI), the national independent advocate for reducing alcohol harm, welcomes the news that Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Jim O’Callaghan, has secured Government approval for the drafting of legislation to provide the statutory footing allowing An Garda Síochána to operate Operation Encompass.
Operation Encompass is a programme designed to support children and young people experiencing domestic abuse. It would facilitate an early information sharing partnership between Gardai and schools, enabling schools and teachers to offer immediate intervention and support for children and young people experiencing domestic abuse. The scheme has been implemented in the UK since 2011 and was rolled out across all 1,162 schools in Northern Ireland in May 2023, with more than 23,000 referrals being made in the first 12 months, underlining the scale of the issue.
The consistent link between alcohol and domestic, sexual and gender-based violence (DSGBV) has led to the recognition of alcohol as a risk factor for intimate partner violence by the World Health Organisation (WHO). In Ireland, we know that one in six children live every day with parental problem alcohol use and in many incidences, alcohol use is the catalyst to significant domestic disruption and abuse.
AAI CEO Dr Sheila Gilheany said: “AAI has been advocating for the introduction of Operation Encompass in Ireland since 2020 and much appreciation must go to Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan, officials from the Department of Justice and Department of Education and Cuan for their work on this. It is great to see inter-departmental cooperation to bring about such an important measure to support children.
“There is support for Operation Encompass from multiple organisations including the Office of the Children’s Ombudsman, ISPCC, Irish Association of Social Workers and Children’s Rights Alliance, so this move is a huge step to support thousands of children, who are the silent victims of parental problem alcohol use and domestic violence.
“The move also underlines the need for better trauma-informed education in our schools, which must be resourced in a way that doesn’t impact teachers’ protected time to upskill.”
While alcohol is not, and never will be, an excuse or explanation for DSGBV, what we do know is that alcohol acts as a commercial accelerant of violence and research shows that, in incidences of domestic abuse, it appears the role of alcohol is one of a facilitative nature, a contributing factor.
A new national strategy to tackle DSGBV is due next year and the Programme for Government states that alcohol licensing laws are set to be updated – both of which fall within the remit of the Minister for Justice. It is of note that the national government in Australia in 2024 agreed to review all alcohol legislation with a view towards reducing family violence, so there is a real opportunity now for Ireland to follow Australia’s lead and review all alcohol legislation with a view towards reducing domestic violence.
Dr Gilheany continued: “There are estimates of alcohol being a factor in up to 70% of domestic violence incidents in Ireland while international research also demonstrates links between domestic violence and big sporting occasions as well as bank holiday weekends with their associated marketing and increases in alcohol consumption. Unfortunately, the current Zero Tolerance strategy to tackle DSGBV does not reference alcohol at all, so one of the biggest risk factors for DSGBV is not currently being considered when it comes to prevention or services. Meanwhile there is significant pressure from the alcohol industry to extend licensing hours, which will inevitably lead to increased levels of domestic violence.
“It is imperative that the next Zero Tolerance strategy includes alcohol. MOVE – Men Overcoming Violence – who work in the area of domestic violence with a primary aim of supporting the safety and wellbeing of women and their children, found that drug and alcohol use was a factor in 50% of their referred cases, while SAOL, who work with women who experience severe and multiple disadvantage, estimate that 90% of women who access their services have had a lived experience of gender-based violence. For many women their experience of substance use and domestic abuse is inextricably linked.
“As one academic paper has pointed out: ‘Ignoring the presence of alcohol will neither eliminate its role in intimate partner violence nor prevent it being used as an excuse for violence. On the contrary, the more we know about how alcohol affects violence, including intimate partner violence, the better able we will be to develop effective prevention strategies and treatment responses.’
“There are no economic or social boundaries to DSGBV – it could be anybody’s sister or daughter that ends up a victim. We owe it to the countless people who have been killed and injured by abusive partners and ex-partners to look at all drivers of intimate partner violence including alcohol. For far too long policymakers have turned a blind eye to this aspect of domestic violence. Alcohol must be included in the next Zero Tolerance strategy to tackle DSGBV.”
ENDS
NOTES:
The General Scheme of the bill is available here.
Operation Encompass founders Elisabeth and David Carney-Haworth will be speaking at AAI’s webinar, The Power of Early Intervention, on Tuesday November 11.
See more here: End the Silence 2025
Facts about alcohol and domestic abuse available here
