We cannot claim to fight violence against women while continuing to ignore one of its most well-documented drivers: alcohol.
Despite clear scientific evidence showing that alcohol is a significant risk factor for violence against women, this connection is consistently overlooked in EU-level political discussions. A striking example is the Council Conclusions on Violence Against Women, which, while commendably prioritising the issue, fails to mention alcohol as a risk factor despite extensive evidence.
The contradiction is difficult to ignore: we know alcohol plays a crucial role in such violence, yet this knowledge continues to be neglected at the EU level. By refusing to acknowledge the link, violence becomes harder both to prevent and to address.
First, according to the Swedish Public Health Agency, women with a partner who drinks alcohol more than twice a week, or who has an alcohol problem, face a significantly higher likelihood of experiencing violence. When this knowledge is not reflected in policy, we risk blaming or marginalising victims.
Women are left carrying the responsibility for the violence they endure from the perpetrator, while alcohol is too often overlooked as a contributing factor that can escalate the frequency or severity of violence. Without recognising this connection, these women will continue to be denied the support and interventions they need.
Furthermore, the EU’s failure to identify alcohol as a risk factor for violence against women also leads to ineffective prevention. Policies, support programmes and educational efforts risk missing their target because they do not address one of the contributing factors. If we fail to talk about alcohol, we cannot develop the preventive tools required.
We lose the opportunity to create measures that could reduce violence and protect women. To effectively reduce violence against women, alcohol policy measures must be part of the solution.
Third, allowing alcohol’s role to remain unrecognised also risks normalising violence through silence. When policymakers avoid discussing the link, a form of social acceptance is created and violence is framed as an individual issue rather than a structural one.
This makes it harder for women to acknowledge what they have experienced and to report violence, while alcohol-related aggression is continually downplayed. The lack of recognition becomes part of the problem.
Alcohol is a well-established risk factor in both violence against women and intimate partner violence. It is therefore crucial that the EU explicitly includes alcohol as a risk factor in its conclusions, particularly in the sections on prevention and early detection.
Such a formulation would strengthen the Council’s framework and support national strategies by offering clearer guidance to member states. It is time for the EU to take the research seriously and act accordingly. Implementing alcohol policy measures, such as higher taxes and restricted availability, can reduce consumption and, in turn, decrease alcohol-related violence against women.
Violence will not decrease if we continue to ignore one of its well-documented causes.
This is a matter of women’s safety — and of political responsibility.
