YVES SAINT LAURENT BEAUTY “ABUSE IS NOT LOVE”, THE GLOBAL PROGRAM WHICH AIMS TO HELP COMBAT INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE (IPV)
ANNOUNCES IRISH PARTNERSHIP WITH WOMEN’S AID IRELAND
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
IRELAND WOMEN’S AID IRELAND x YVES SAINT LAURENT BEAUTY PARTNERSHIP
In Ireland, Yves Saint Laurent Beauty has developed Abuse Is Not Love in partnership with the non-profit organisation Women’s Aid Ireland, supporting their Too Into You campaign, a National Public Awareness Campaign aimed at raising awareness of intimate relationship abuse against young women aged 18-25.
The 3-year partnership includes funding Women’s Aid Too Into You Campaign, with the goal of educating at least 30,000 young people about the signs of abuse and the help Women’s Aid can provide. Further educating over 9,000+ young people on the signs of abuse, the laws to protect them and where to get help. And educating 15,000 people plus, through website resources to recognize the signs of abuse, online safety, legal protection to help available.
Women’s Aid Ireland was born 48 years and since then has been working to prevent and address the impact of domestic violence and abuse including coercive control, against women and children. Too Into You is a Women’s Aid campaign and resource for young women to learn about their intimate relationships and seek support and advice if they are suffering or fear they may be suffering abuse. Friends, classmates, colleagues, family members and professionals can also access information about intimate relationship abuse including how best to support someone.
“Since our foundation in 1974, Women’s Aid has been committed to working in co-operation with leaders at all levels in our community. Together we can create a zero tolerance in Ireland for all forms of gender based violence, including the scourge of intimate relationship abuse. We are simply delighted to join with Yves Saint Laurent Beauty to further this goal. With the combined innovation of public awareness, internal policy development and training, this partnership represents a wonderful model of how companies of any size can collaborate with specialist services to generate a positive change for their employees, their customers and our wider society.” – Sarah Benson, CEO, Women’s Aid Ireland
“Intimate Partner Violence is a hidden crime that thrives on silence. We want to break this silence by starting conversations about abuse in our workplaces, communities and schools, and to raise awareness of this important issue.” Richard Smith, General Manager for YSL BEAUTY UK&I
Yves Saint Laurent Beauty supports the organization in its prevention actions.
ABUSE IS NOT LOVE: A 3-PILLAR PROGRAM
- Too into You Campaign Funding
Support the Ireland Women’s Aid via funding of their Too into You campaign, which will educate at least 30,000 young people about the signs of abuse and the help Women’s Aid can provide. Educate over 9,000+ young people on the signs of abuse, the laws to protect them and where to get help. And will see the education of over 15,000 people through website resources to recognize the signs of abuse, online safety, legal protection to help available
- Internal Training of the Yves Saint Laurent Beauty teams
Workshops and training seminars are organised 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 fight against Intimate Partner Violence 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.
YSL BEAUTY ABUSE IS NOT LOVE CAMPAIGN
In the lead-up to the UN’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on November 25, 2020, Yves Saint Laurent Beauty launched Abuse Is Not Love, a 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 lifetimeP0F[1]P and only a small proportion of survivors will obtain justice.
Intimate Partner Violence is one of the most common forms of violence against women and includes physical, sexual, financial, and emotional abuse as well as controlling behaviours by a current or former intimate partner. In the United States, United Kingdom and France, one woman is killed by her partner every three days.P1F[2]P IPV affects individuals from all socioeconomic, religious, and cultural groups;P2F[3]P however, women are most at risk, with the highest rates seen among young adults aged 16-24.P3F[4]P
Intimate Partner Violence prevalence rates increased by 30 to 60 percent as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.P4F[5]P Many women had to live in lockdown with an abusive partner and were 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 recognise it better and seek or offer help.P5F[6]P 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; a goal to educate 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 launched as a global program with 3 key partnerships in 2020: En Avant Toute(s) in France, Women’s Aid England in the UK, and has now expanded to over 19 countries worldwide. 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 2 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, Global Ambassador for YSL Beauty, 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, Global Ambassador for YSL Beauty