Yves Saint Laurent Beauty Launches "Abuse is Not Love", a Global Program which Aims to Help Combat Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)
The beauty brand commits to funding academic research, training its employees, and educating 2 million people by 2030 on Intimate Partner Violence through partnerships with non-profits
PARIS, Nov. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In the lead-up to the UN's International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on Nov. 25, 2020, Yves Saint Laurent Beauty has launched Abuse is Not Love, a new global program aimed at helping to combat Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) by supporting the prevention programs of its non-profit partners. IPV is a major societal issue: approximately 1 in 3 women will experience Intimate Partner Violence in their lifetime1 and only a small proportion of survivors will obtain justice.
Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is one of the most common forms of violence against women and includes physical, sexual, financial, and emotional abuse, as well as controlling behaviors by an intimate partner. In the United States, United Kingdom and France, one woman is killed by her partner every three days.2 Globally, more than 600 million women are living in a country where Intimate Partner Violence is not considered a crime. Intimate Partner Violence affects individuals from all socioeconomic, religious, and cultural groups;3 however, women are most at risk, with the highest rates seen among young adults aged 16-24.4
Intimate Partner Violence prevalence rates have increased by 30 to 60 percent as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.5 Many women have been living in lockdown with an abusive partner and have been unable to seek support from expert organizations, friends, loved ones and colleagues.
Research shows that IPV comes with key warning signs. If these signs can be detected earlier, we may be able to recognize it better and seek or offer help.6 YSL Beauty aims to do its part in raising awareness of these common signs.
Abuse is Not Love is built around three key pillars: funding academic research on the topic to develop thought-leadership around youth and prevention; educating 2 million people on the common signs of IPV through international partnerships; and training YSL Beauty employees and beauty advisors on Intimate Partner Violence in the workplace.
"Supporting women, especially when it comes to their independence, is central to the way the brand acts. Intimate Partner Violence hinders the safety, wellbeing and independence of women," says Stephan Bezy, International General Manager, Yves Saint Laurent Beauty. "It therefore felt very natural to work on an issue that stood in opposition to our core values and beliefs."
Abuse is Not Love has launched as a global program with 3 key partnerships in 2020: En Avant Toute(s) in France, Women's Aid in the UK, and It's on Us in the U.S., with more partnerships coming in 2021 in other countries. Through these partnerships, YSL Beauty aims to raise awareness of the seriousness of IPV in order to contribute to meaningful change. By 2030, YSL's objective is to educate two million people around the world on IPV through its partnership with local non-profits.
Dr. Beth Livingston, a US-based gender and diversity academic who has conducted research as part of the Abuse is Not Love program, says, "I knew I wanted to be involved in this initiative when I saw that YSL Beauty was not only taking a strong point of view, but also was making a commitment to drive measurable change via their partnerships with leading NGOs around the world. The data on this topic is clear: IPV is a dangerous issue that affects women (and men) in all facets of their lives, including the workplace, and I believe that YSL Beauty's efforts will help bring important resources and awareness to those in need."
YSL Beauty's ambassadors have expressed enthusiasm and support for the program.
"I am a vocal supporter of women's rights and today, 600 million women in the world are living in a country where Intimate Partner Violence is not considered a crime. This is an issue that deserves attention and it is time to take action. I am proud to support my YSL Beauty family in this important initiative." – Dua Lipa, YSL Beauty Ambassador, Libre
"Abuse is Not Love is a much-needed initiative that is true to the spirit of Yves Saint Laurent, who supported women's freedom and equality. Today, I'm prouder than ever to be a part of the YSL Beauty family and I look forward to working on this project together to fight against this abuse." – Zoë Kravitz, YSL Beauty Ambassador
USA
IT'S ON US x YVES SAINT LAURENT BEAUTY PARTNERSHIP
In the US, Yves Saint Laurent Beauty developed ABUSE IS NOT LOVE in partnership with the non-profit organization It's On Us.
It's On Us was founded in 2014 as an initiative of the Obama administration. Now, this non-profit organization builds movement to combat campus sexual assault by engaging all students, including young men. It is the largest student activation program of its kind.
The non-profit organization is grounded in a peer-to-peer prevention education model empowering students to teach one another sexual assault awareness and consent education, bystander intervention and survivor support. Today, It's On Us supports 250+ registered campus chapters and affiliate programs nationwide. It's On Us is the only program of its kind to combine grassroots organizing with high-impact culture change campaigns through partnerships that reach millions of young people with critical prevention and associated messaging.
"Prevention education is critical to ensuring safe campuses for all students - it is not enough to solely focus on response after sexual violence has occurred. Imagine a world in which all students graduate from college without having been sexually assaulted. That is the goal of It's On Us." - Tracey Vitchers, Executive Director, It's On Us.
Yves Saint Laurent Beauty supports the organization in its prevention actions.
ABUSE IS NOT LOVE: A 3-PILLAR PROGRAM
- Peer-to-peer IPV prevention and education on campuses
The project will support two peer-led educational programs that empower students (18-24) to understand, identify, and prevent Intimate Partner Violence on college campuses, helping them look out for signs and symptoms and how to safely intervene as active bystanders. Through the 250+ campuses, online rollout of this program, and its inclusion within the It's On Us National Student Leadership Summit, the program will educate 60,000 students per year. - Internal Training of the Yves Saint Laurent Beauty teams
Workshops and training seminars are organized for YSL Beauty corporate and front-line teams to understand and identify abusive relationships. These workshops give them the tools and resources, not only for themselves, but to be agents of change in their communities. - Contribution to Thought Leadership through research
The brand aims to have a long-term impact on the Intimate Partner Violence issue through contributions to research studies on youth and prevention. The published findings on barriers to prevention of IPV are an aim to open-source full industry collaboration against this crime.
IT'S ON US
IT'S ON US: https://www.itsonus.org/
NATIONAL DOMESTIC ABUSE HOTLINE
HELPLINE: 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)
ONLINE :https://hotline.rainn.org/online
TO FIND A LOCAL HOTLINE IN YOUR COUNTRY
UNITED NATIONS WOMEN HOTLINE COMPILATION LIST: Uhttps://www.facebook.com/safety/domesticviolenceresources
GLOBAL MEDIA CONTACTS
David Iop, VP Global Communications & Image, YSL BEAUTY
[email protected]
Bérengère Drevon-Balas, International Communications Director, YSL BEAUTY
[email protected]
Juliette Jacovidis, JAY COMMUNICATION
[email protected]
US MEDIA CONTACT
Gino Luci, VP of Marketing, YSL BEAUTY
[email protected]
Lauren (Lo) Moore, Communications + Fragrance Marketing Coordinator, YSL BEAUTY
[email protected]
Nermene Fakhr, Senior Account Executive, NIKE COMMUNICATIONS
[email protected]
1 https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/violence-against-women
2 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-46292919 and https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-49586759
3 https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/77432/WHO_RHR_12.36_eng.pdf
4 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4133076/
5 https://madame.lefigaro.fr/societe/violences-contre-les-femmes-a-lheure-du-confinement-une-forte-augmentation-des-signalements-120420-180685
6 https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/faqs/signs-of-abuse
SOURCE YSL Beauty
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