Avon Justine Helping to End Violence Against Women and Girls
Leading direct selling beauty and personal care company, Avon Justine, was selected to partner with the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) - the largest voluntary movement dedicated to girls and young women in the world with 10 million members across 150 countries - to complement and support ongoing campaigns against gender-based violence.
The partnership with the Avon Foundation will be activated in South Africa, Argentina and the
Philippines.
The partnership is a culmination of a $500 000 investment that the Avon Foundation Board of
Directors pledged to fund campaigns aimed at combating gender-based violence such as the
Vital Voices initiative which hosted a series of workshops and training programmes to support
anti-gender based violence programme in Cape Town; Mar del Plata, Argentina; and Manila,
Philippines and the activities that will form part of the partnership with WAGGGS.
“This new partnership aims to support our Girl Guiding and Scouting associations in South
Africa, Argentina and the Philippines to design and implement girl-led advocacy campaigns.
Each campaign will focus on challenging harmful norms and beliefs, while raising awareness
about specific forms of violence and influencing those in power to make changes that improve
the lives of girls at a local and national level,” said Sarah Nancollas, CEO of the World
Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.
“Avon and WAGGGS will be working together for a year to inform, support and raise awareness
on violence against women through the voices and commitment of girls and young women
themselves,” said Bridget Bhengu, Director of Corporate Communications at Avon Justine SA.
As part of this partnership, Avon associates and Representatives will get an opportunity to
participate and engage in grassroots advocacy campaigns developed by Girl Guides and Girl
Scouts in each country. Avon country offices are expected to create strong local and community
relationships and collaborate with girls and young women to share knowledge on awareness
raising and education on gender-based violence.
RELATED: #Stand4Her: Avon Justine condemns violence against women
Girl-led stories and educational content will be developed by the WAGGGS team to be
distributed through the Avon communication channels. This will allow Avon to start a
conversation with its customers and empower more women on what needs to change in order to
end gender-based violence.
“This partnership is premised on the conviction that girls are more than just victims, they are
agents of change. With the right support, Avon believes that they can be instigators of their own
futures and the leaders of change within their communities,” adds Bhengu.
In line with its brand promise of combating gender based violence, Avon will also join the global
community in commemorating 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence by supporting the United Nations UNiTE to End Violence Against Women Campaign which is known as Go Orange.
The colour orange symbolizes a brighter future, free from violence. Avon will contribute to the
global initiative to “orange the world” by going orange for the duration of the 16 Days of against
Gender-Based Violence . Around the world, Avon will turn its social media channels orange,
introduce a limited edition orange logo for online channels and launch a frame for photos on
social media.
16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an international campaign that takes
place every year between the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
on 25 November and the International Human Rights Day on 10 December.
The campaign rallies individuals and organisations around the world to call for the prevention
and elimination of violence against women and children. Avon and the Avon Foundation for
Women have already donated in excess of $65 million globally towards causes that are
combating the scourge of gender-based violence.
“Violence against women and girls is often a silent epidemic and those who are the receiving
end of this human rights violation are often unseen and unheard. It is a pandemic that knows no
class, race, religion or creed. Avon research has found that 38% of abuse victims are unsure
where to seek help and 60% do not believe their claims will be taken seriously,” says Bhengu.
To date Avon has raised and donated over R7 million in South Africa to NGOs fighting gender-
based violence. This year marks 15 years of Avon Justine support for 16 Days of Activism
against Gender-Based Violence. In South Africa, Avon’s flagship anti-gender based violence
initiative, Speak Out Against Domestic Violence has served 11 million women and educated 29
million women about domestic violence.
At a global level, Avon and the Avon Foundation have reached 34,3 million people, distributed
5,7 million educational materials and directly helped over 500 000 women. Through its 10-year
partnership with Vital Voices, Avon has reached 2,3 million people in 66 countries.
“Violence against women is a gross violation of human rights and dignity that should be top of
mind beyond the 16 Days. We call upon the private and public sector, civil society
organisations, men, women and children to work towards a safer country for all and to join
forces to ensure that we eradicate this scourge in our lifetime,” says Bhengu.
According to statistics released by the Justice Department, one in four women in South Africa is
in an abusive relationship. The Medical Research Council (MRC) estimates that a woman is
killed every eight hours in the country. Avon launched the Speak Out against Domestic Violence
programme in South Africa in 2008 to address gender based violence.
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