Alcohol Action Ireland press release, Wednesday, 1 October, 2025
With a new national strategy to tackle domestic, sexual and gender-based violence (DSGBV) due next year, and with the Programme for Government stating that alcohol licensing laws are set to be updated – both of which fall within the remit of Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan – Alcohol Action Ireland (AAI), the national independent advocate to reduce alcohol harm, along with representatives from the SAOL Project and MOVE (Men Overcoming Violence), are going to Leinster House tomorrow (Thursday, 2 October, 11am-12) to brief TDs, Senators, and political staff on the importance of recognising the role of alcohol in DSGBV.
DSGBV remains a pervasive issue in Irish society. According to Women’s Aid ‘Femicide Watch’, 275 women have died violently between 1996 and June 2025. Shockingly, it remains the case that the most dangerous place for women is their own home. 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.
AAI CEO Dr Sheila Gilheany said: “The consistent link between alcohol and DSGBV has led to the recognition of alcohol as a risk factor for intimate partner violence by the World Health Organization (WHO). However, there seems to be a reluctance to acknowledge and discuss how alcohol affects violence in the media and in policy making, at least in part because of concerns that such research would be used to justify the use of alcohol as an excuse for violence against women. 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.
“Given the scale of the issues in Ireland it is essential that we advocate for proven policy solutions, including reducing alcohol use – which is recognised by the WHO as an important strategy for reducing violence against women. 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. Minister for Justice, Jim O’Callaghan, holds the brief for both alcohol licensing and tackling DSGBV. There will be a new DSGBV strategy from 2026 and the Programme for Government states that licensing laws will be updated so there is a real opportunity now for Ireland to follow Australia’s lead and review all alcohol legislation with a view towards reducing family violence.”
MOVE work in the area of domestic violence, with a primary aim of supporting the safety and wellbeing of women and their children who are experiencing, or have experienced, violence/abuse in an intimate relationship.
MOVE CEO Dr Michelle Walsh said: “The staff at Move see daily the significant danger many women and children are exposed to by living with DSGBV, and we understand that alcohol can lead to detrimental outcomes and accelerate risk. Indeed, in 2023 we found that drug and alcohol use was a factor in 50% of the cases referred to us. Therefore, what we can say is that alcohol use is one of the most consistent risk factors for domestic violence.”
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.
Rachel Fayne, SAOL co-ordinator said: “It is important to acknowledge that the presence of alcohol or drug use in an abusive relationship is a complicating factor that not only makes it more difficult for both the victim survivor and perpetrator to receive support but also leads to increased risk of serious injury or homicide. Women who use alcohol or drugs are 2 to 5 times more likely to experience gender-based violence than the general population. For many their experience of substance use and domestic abuse is inextricably linked.”
Dr Gilheany continued: “In the course of AAI’s work examining the role of alcohol and DSGBV one particular quote from international researchers stood out: ‘Ignoring the presence of alcohol will neither eliminate its role in intimate partner violence nor prevent its 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.’
“While alcohol is clearly a feature of much violence and trauma in Ireland, there is a lot more government could do to tackle this issue. For example, the current Zero Tolerance strategy on DSGBV does not reference alcohol at all. Licensing legislation does not explicitly point to the public health value in restricting alcohol sales and there is significant pressure from the alcohol industry to extend licensing hours. This silence gives the alcohol industry a free pass to recklessly promote their products and demand access to more selling opportunities.
“Critically, we cannot forget the thousands of children who witness domestic abuse – they are victims in their own right and in need of immediate support, such as through the introduction of Operation Encompass, a Garda-led, school-based early intervention safeguarding scheme designed to support children and young people who experience domestic abuse, the traumatic impact of which can last a lifetime. This programme has been under consideration by government for years but with no clear implementation date.
“There are no economic or social boundaries to DSGBV – it could be anybody’s sister or daughter that ends up a victim. The state has an obligation to all its citizens to ensure their right to live free from fear of violence or worse. 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 and to begin a national conversation around the issue of alcohol’s role in DSGBV. For far too long policymakers have turned a blind eye to this aspect of DSGBV and indeed many alcohol policies only exacerbate the issue. It’s time for government, and Minister O’Callaghan in particular, to start joining the dots around alcohol and DSGBV if they are serious about tackling this scourge of Irish society.”
ENDS
NOTES: AAI’s report series Alcohol and domestic, sexual and gender-based violence can be accessed here
