“Alcohol is often involved in cases of rape, and is one of the most commonly cited factors when attempting to blame victims and excuse perpetrators. “Our campaign seeks to challenge commonly held beliefs about rape, myths that allow victims to be criticised for sending out the ‘wrong message’, whilst excusing perpetrators for being ‘led on’. Speaking to Alcohol Alert, campaign co-ordinator Fleur Gardiner explained: The tag line of the poster is “ Drunk does not mean yes“. However, eight years on, the image files remain archived on an old web domain and hard copies may still be on display in some NHS premises.Ī current awareness campaign being held in the Isle of Wight, designed to improve knowledge around consent and rape and to expose rape ‘myths’, confronts the issue of drunkenness directly with a poster (see below left) that offers a different emphasis to that of the Know Your Limits campaign. The poster first appeared in 2006 as part of the Home Office’s ‘ Know Your Limits’ campaign under the then Labour Government, which was discontinued under the Coalition Government. Recently, the question of consent in cases where the victim was under the influence of alcohol was at the centre of a row over an NHS and Home Office poster (see right) which warned that “ one in three rapes happens when the victim has been drinking”.Ĭritics complained that the poster was “a blatant and appalling case of victim blaming by our own Government, putting the onus on the victim rather than the perpetrator”, and a petition calling for it to be destroyed has so far gathered over 100,000 signatures.
There is a strong link between alcohol and violence, and research suggests that pricing policies such as minimum unit pricing for alcohol would reduce rates of domestic violence.Research suggests that those who mix energy drinks and alcohol are almost twice as likely to be taken advantage of sexually.
At times it can be misinterpreted and used against the victim, yet in some scenarios victims are likely to turn to alcohol as a means of coping with their experiences of abuse
Other articles include: cross-party political support for a manifesto to tackle alcohol misuse the release of a report backing the Welsh Government’s plans to introduce minimum unit pricing newly published data on underage drinking and plans to tighten up alcohol licensing laws in Northern Ireland. In this issue, Jennifer Holly (Against Violence & Abuse) and Professor Jonathan Shepherd (Violence Research Group, Cardiff University) give their thoughts on a new report which highlights the harmful relationship between alcohol and domestic abuse.
Welcome to the September edition of Alcohol Alert, the Institute of Alcohol Studies newsletter, covering the latest updates on UK alcohol policy matters.