Paris (AFP)
Alcohol is "the great missing" Grenelle against domestic violence lament a Collective of relatives of alcoholic patients (CoPMA) and addiction specialists who call for preventive measures and care in two open letters to the government .
The forums, addressed to Health Minister Agnès Buzyn and Secretary of State for Gender Equality Marlène Schiappa, are being made public on Monday.
"Alcohol is a major causal factor of violence against women," they say.
The analysis of violent couple deaths that occurred in 2018, and more specifically the 121 feminicides, published by the victim assistance delegation, shows that in 55% of cases at least one of the two, perpetrator or victim, is under the influence of a substance (alcohol, narcotics, etc.).
Alcohol impairs self-control abilities, increases impulsiveness, aggression, and also decreases victims' defenses, the signatories note.
They cite a study that showed, according to 15-month-old newspapers by women who had already suffered violence, that the risk of physical aggression increased eight-fold on days when men drank and the risk of aggression was eleven. serious.
"Among women living in a relationship with a dependent consumer the risk of violence is three times higher than in the general population," explains one of the signatories, Professor Michel Reynaud, president of the Equity Addictions Fund on the basis of a synthesis of studies on 80,000 people.
If it is not the only factor involved in these sufferings and tragedies, it is a very common, "massive", and "mostly avoidable" element on which governments can act, he adds. .
The associations demand the application of a duty of care by the justice, a plan of support to the caregivers of alcoholic patients as well as a national campaign of information on the repercussions of the alcoholic disease on the entourage.
The creation of a register of violence related to alcohol and psychotropic drugs (with their systematic dosages) and the precise analysis of the role of these consumptions in feminicides are recommended to better understand the extent of the phenomenon.
Specialists are also calling for the reinforcement of proven anti-drinking actions. For example, in Australia, a reduction of one hour and thirty minutes of opening bars in the evening has reduced by more than a third the violence of all kinds, says Pr Laurent Bègue, expert psycho-sociologist.
© 2019 AFP