Avon has teamed up with domestic abuse charity Women’s Aid for a new campaign aiming to educate women about the dangers of coercive control in relationships.
The brand commissioned a survey of 16-24 year old women and found that only 37% of those asked had never experienced a controlling relationship. Coercive control was recently made illegal in the UK and Women’s Aid says that 95% of domestic abuse survivors report controlling behaviour in abusive relationships. The new campaign aims to raise awareness that this really is a form of domestic abuse.
The survey also revealed that 10% of women would see a partner repeatedly checking their phone as a normal and acceptable part of a relationship and 5% thought that being told what they are allowed to wear as normal. Worryingly, one in 20 thought that being afraid of your partner is normal.
To help change this, Avon has launched a new website – lovedontfeelbad.co.uk – offering advice and resources for young women to help them recognise controlling behaviour. The brand hopes the site will spark discussion about what isn’t acceptable in relationships and what healthy relationships are really like.
The brand believes it has a unique platform to reach vulnerable women. Andrea Slater, General Manager – Western Europe at Avon, told Cosmetics Business: “Six million women see an Avon brochure every three weeks here in the UK and our selling model makes us the original social network – it’s the perfect way to share messages.”
Avon has been working to help the one in four UK women affected by domestic violence for almost ten years. It has donated a total of £1.5m to Women’s Aid and Refuge to help end violence against women.
Slater added: “Our belief in supporting and empowering women of all ages is at the heart of our business. Whether that’s through our representative business model that enables women to earn a living in the way that suits them, or in our long standing commitment to the charities that matter most to women, our vision remains constant.”
