- Avon and the Avon Foundation
for Women have announced a new $300,000 partnership with the World Association
of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS)
- The partnership will build awareness and education about
gender-based violence to reach millions of women and girls
- Announced in line with the 16 Days of Activism Against
Gender-Based Violence, the beauty giant will encourage more people
to #SpeakOutListenUp for signs of violence, harassment and
abuse
LONDON, Nov. 19, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Avon
Products Inc. (NYSE: AVP): Avon and the Avon Foundation
for Women has today announced a new partnership with the World
Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) to combat
gender-based violence. Launched in line with the 16 Days of
Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, the partnership
announcement follows Avon Foundation-funded research which revealed
38% of abuse victims are unsure where to seek help and 60% do not
believe they will be taken seriously1.
Avon will work with WAGGGS to
ensure more women and girls are able to identify gender-based
violence and identify resources to safely seek help. As part of the
partnership, the organisations will launch a new training and
awareness programme for Avon's
Representative network, and girl guides and girl scouts in three
countries: South Africa,
Philippines and Argentina.
Ultimately, the partnership aims to create campaign materials that
can be utilized across the world, with the potential to reach over
15 million women and girls represented by Avon and WAGGGS.
The programme is designed to address the silence around
gender-based violence, empowering women and girls experiencing
violence and abuse to safely speak out and to access the support
they need.
Chair of the Avon Foundation for Women, Amy Greene, said: "The Avon Foundation is
committed to breaking down the barriers that hold women and girls
back. One in three women2 is directly affected by
gender-based violence around the world, and domestic violence kills
more women than any other issue. Too often, women and girls
suffer in silence, and spotting the signs of violence and abuse can
be difficult for friends and family to recognise. Avon wants to open up the dialogue about
violence against women and girls, to help educate and empower
people to speak up. Together with WAGGGS we have a powerful
combined reach that can make a tangible difference."
CEO of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts,
Sarah Nancollas,
said: "Violence against women and girls is one of the most
pervasive and widespread global human rights violations and is at
epidemic proportions. By partnering with the Avon Foundation we
will support young women and girls to become change makers within
their communities, to feel they have a voice to advocate, and to
raise awareness and dispel harmful myths surrounding violence and
discrimination. We are grateful for the support of Avon and the Avon Foundation in taking forward
this important work."
Alongside the WAGGGS partnership, Avon is committed to using its global voice to
shed light on the many forms of violence, harassment and abuse
experienced by women and girls. Throughout the 16 Days of Activism
Against Gender-Based Violence, Avon will donate funds from special product
sales across the world to frontline gender-based violence support
organisations, building on the $65m
the Avon Foundation and Avon have
already donated globally.
Notes to editors
- Avon (2018). Avon Global
Women's Survey: Violence against women and girls. Global survey of
14,400 women across 15 countries on their attitudes and perceptions
of gender relations and violence in its different forms.
- World Health Organisation, Department of Reproductive Health
and Research, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, South
African Medical Research Council (2013). Global and regional
estimates of violence against women: prevalence and health effects
of intimate partner violence and non-partner sexual violence.
About Avon Products Inc.
For more than 130 years
Avon has stood for women:
providing innovative, quality beauty products which are primarily
sold to women, through women. Millions of independent sales
Representatives across the world sell iconic Avon brands such as
Avon Color and ANEW through their social networks, building their
own beauty businesses on a full- or part-time basis.
Avon supports women's empowerment,
entrepreneurship and well-being and has donated over $1billion to women's causes through Avon and the Avon Foundation. Learn more
about Avon and its products at
www.avonworldwide.com. #stand4her
About Avon Foundation for Women
The Avon Foundation
for Women is committed to supporting issues that matter most to
women. Since its inception in 1955, the Avon Foundation has
promoted or aided charitable, scientific, educational, and
humanitarian activities, with a special emphasis on programs that
improve the lives of women and their families. Through 2018,
Avon and the Avon Foundation for
Women have contributed over $1 billion in over 50 countries to
support its efforts to eradicate breast cancer and to help end
violence against women and girls worldwide. Today, Avon global cause programs focus on breast
health awareness and prevention through the Avon Breast Cancer
Promise, and to help end violence through the Avon
Promise to Help End Violence Against Women and Girls.
To encourage more women to open up and speak out about their
experiences, Avon has also
partnered with Peace One Day to tell three survivor's
stories. Launched on Peace Day, September
2019, the films chart the experience of three women in the
United Kingdom, South Africa and Mexico who are survivors of intimate partner
violence. The films can be viewed here.
The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence is
an international campaign coordinated by the Center for
Women's Global Leadership and used by activists around the world as
an organizing strategy to call for the elimination of all forms of
gender-based violence. The core 16 Days campaign takes place every
year between November 25 and December
10 and is run by more than 6,000 organizations in 187
countries.
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SOURCE Avon Products, Inc.