Alcohol, Masculinities, and Violence: Understanding the Connections and Exploring Solutions

Event Description

Alcohol use is a key risk factor for violence in the home, yet its role is often overlooked in gender and violence prevention programming. This session provides evidence-based insights, practical strategies, and lessons from the field to inspire action in your own gender-transformative work. This session also highlights common discussions around this topic, including concern around how the misuse of alcohol can be used as an excuse to justify harmful behaviors, and why there has not been more collaboration with the alcohol reduction field. 

Featuring Ruti Levtov from the Prevention Collaborative and Samitha Sugathimala from the Foundation for Innovative Social Development (FISD, Sri Lanka), this discussion highlights: 

1. The gendered dimensions of alcohol use and its connection to violence. 
2. Promising strategies to reduce harmful drinking and violence, including through gender-transformative approaches. 
3. Real-world experiences from FISD​’s Happy Families programme in Sri Lanka, which engages men, women, and youth to challenge harmful norms and build healthier communities. 

What to expect: 

1. Evidence & Frameworks: An overview of the latest research on alcohol, masculinities, and violence, and why integrating alcohol reduction into gender programming matters. 
2. Practical Solutions: Lessons from Sri Lanka on engaging men and boys, empowering women and girls, and mobilizing communities to shift norms around drinking and violence. 
3. Challenges & Successes: Key takeaways on what works (and what doesn’t) in applying gender-transformative approaches to alcohol prevention. 
4. Interactive Discussion: Space to reflect on how these insights apply to your context and strategies for meaningful integration.