Avon and Refuge Campaign

Avon and Refuge Campaign

The "Support a Friend" campaign is the latest phase of the joint '1in4women' campaign, launched by Refuge and Avon last year, reflecting the statistic that one woman in every four will experience domestic violence at some point in her lifetime.

The video, animated by French musician and film director Fursy Teyssier, will drive people to the campaign website www.1in4women.com, which offers a wealth of information about the signs and causes of domestic violence.

The 1 in 4 Facebook App, launched last year on Refuge's Facebook page, will continue to be a key part of the campaign which will drive awareness and share the campaign message.  The App works out how many of the users' female friends could experience domestic violence based on the shocking 1 in 4 statistic.

The Campaign

The striking 'Support a Friend' animation video sets up four scenarios and asks viewers what they might consider doing in each situation to support a friend experiencing domestic violence. The animation unfolds in different, dramatic ways according to the responses given.

Get Involved

The video went live on 14th November 2012. The campaign video - available on www.1in4women.com as well as YouTube and Avon/Refuge Facebook channels - launches ahead of the international and UN supported campaign, 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence, which starts eleven days later on 25th November 2012.

At 14.00 on 14th November 2012 thousands of independent Avon Representatives across the UK logged on to view the campaign video and urged all their customers to join in and support the cause.

Angela Tucker, Head of Recruitment and Sales at Avon says, “Harnessing Avon's unprecedented woman-to-woman network of independent Representatives and the significant reach of social media, we are determined to confront this issue.  Simple and easy to use, this interactive video will send a shockwave of awareness through the online community and empower women to learn more about domestic violence.”

Sandra Horley, CBE, CEO of Refuge, says, “Domestic violence is an insidious crime which affects women from all walks of life. Given that one woman in four will experience domestic violence at some point in her lifetime, it's likely that we all know someone who is experiencing it - whether it be a sister, daughter, friend, colleague or neighbour. Domestic violence has devastating consequences - supporting a friend could save her life."

Avon's Beauty & Empowerment Ambassador, Alesha Dixon comments, “It’s extremely upsetting to think that one-quarter of all the women I know will experience domestic violence at some time in their lives – and that some of them could be going through it right now. That’s why I’m supporting this campaign: because the more we all understand about domestic violence, the more women will be able to escape it and rebuild their lives free from fear.”