Domestic violence and alcohol: Experts call for stricter measures to curb excessive drinking
Some seven percent of children and adolescents in Czechia witnessed or directly experienced repeated domestic violence last year. This behaviour is often linked to excessive alcohol consumption. Experts across the board are currently drafting an action plan regulating access to alcohol and reducing alcohol-related damage.
According to last year's annual report on addictions, one in eight adults in Czechia drinks excessively at least once a week and as many as 1.3 million people over the age of 15 are risk-drinkers.
While alcohol is usually not the cause of domestic violence, it definitely escalates the problem. Experts point out that serious injuries and even deaths are many times more likely to occur when alcohol is involved.
Politicians and experts across the board are currently drafting a set of regulations that would restrict access to alcohol. The proposed measures will include restrictions on advertising, regulation of sales and prices, as well as strengthening prevention and professional services.
At the moment, the authorities only address problems linked to violence and alcohol abuse when the authorities decide to remove a child from the family, which is far too late, says government's Human Rights Commissioner, Klára Šimáčková Laurenčíková:
“At that point, the state automatically finances a place for the child in an institution. But what we really need is to provide early assistance to the child and the family when they find themselves in a crisis. Ideally, it should take place in their own social environment and at the moment when the problem arises. The current system is illogical, unethical and uneconomical.”
According to Šimáčková-Laurenčíková, the later the assistance is provided, the more it costs. For instance, a month in an institution ranges between CZK 30,000 to CZK 80,000, says Šimáčková-Laurenčíková:
“If we take away three children from a single mother who cannot cope and could do with a little help, we are talking about CZK 200,000 a month, which the state pays from its coffers.
“Let us ask ourselves how this sum of money could be used so that the family stays together, so that the mother is not left alone in such a difficult situation.”
Alcohol-related domestic violence could also be prevented by a number of legislative changes. Experts are currently discussing the possibility of limiting the sale of alcohol to designated places and prohibiting alcohol advertising between certain hours. Another problem that needs to be tackled is its low price, says National Drug Coordinator Jindřich Vobořil:
“One of the topics we are currently discussing is taxing alcoholic drinks according to the amount of alcohol they contain. I think it would be useful to set the minimum price for a gram of alcohol so that the price of alcoholic drinks is higher than the price of soft drinks. Today, unfortunately, water is still more expensive than beer.”
The proposal should be submitted for debate to the lower house in the autumn. Whether the current government will be able to push the much-needed changes through, remains to be seen.
