Sri Lanka has a notably low rate of alcohol consumption and smoking among women, according to the Alcohol Information Centre.
The Executive Director of the Alcohol & Drug Information Centre (ADIC) Sampath De Seram, speaking to the Daily Mirror, revealed the economic, health and social issues arising from the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.
Seram highlighted that alcohol and tobacco companies are using various strategies to target women as consumers and normalize the use of alcohol and tobacco products among them.
He stated that alcohol promotions are targeting 54% of women to see alcohol promotions in movies, 43% on Facebook, 29.3% on TikTok, 20.2% on YouTube and 16% on Instagram.
Additionally, 24% noted promotions in traditional media, 24.2% during events and 23.6% at social gatherings.
The ADIC conducted a survey by collecting data from 1,000 women above 15 years of age across 25 districts in Sri Lanka to investigate the issues women face due to others’ alcohol consumption and how alcohol violates women’s rights.
It is reported that 54% of women have experienced issues due to alcohol consumption of others.
Meanwhile, 43% of women face mental and psychological challenges due to others’ alcohol consumption.
However, 64% of women report that women’s rights are being violated when alcohol companies use women to promote their products and 69% women have experienced discomfort in public places due to alcohol.
According to ADIC, a national level action plan should be introduced to prevent and combat the spread of such industry narratives and create awareness regarding the real chemical effect of alcohol within children from childhood.
Therefore, women should be empowered to respond to harassments done under the guise of alcohol consumption.
