Avon Foundation for Women Grants $500,000 to the U.S. To End Violence Against Women

Andrea Jung, Avon Chairman & CEO, and Avon's Global Ambassador Reese Witherspoon announce donation to U.S. State Department's Secretary's Fund for Global Women's Leadership at Women of Courage Awards in the presence of the First Lady Michelle Obama and the Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. (PRNewsFoto/Avon Foundation for Women) WASHINGTON, DC UNITED STATES

11 Mar 2010 08:17 Africa/Lagos


Avon Foundation for Women Grants $500,000 to the U.S. Department of State Secretary's Fund for Global Women's Leadership

Donation to Fund International Programs to End Violence Against Women

WASHINGTON, March 11 /PRNewswire/ -- The Avon Foundation for Women (www.avonfoundation.org) presented a $500,000 grant to the U.S. Department of State Secretary's Fund for Global Women's Leadership to accelerate the global movement to end violence against women. Andrea Jung, Avon Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and Reese Witherspoon, Avon Global Ambassador and Honorary Chairperson of the Avon Foundation, made the announcement at the International Women of Courage Awards, hosted by Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, at the U.S. Department of State.


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(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100311/MM68434 )


Violence against women is a global epidemic yet efforts to prevent it are underfunded. Nearly one billion women worldwide -- that is one in three women -- will experience violence in their lifetime. Yet around the world, services for victims are often limited or unavailable, and in many countries, laws to protect women do not exist or are not enforced. Women who are abused cannot reach their social or economic potential, which hurts families, communities and entire countries -- and can be especially detrimental to developing countries where involvement of women is essential to growth.


The U.S. Department of State will use the grant to fund innovative and breakthrough programs developed by international non-government organizations for the purpose of ending violence against women.


"We are tremendously privileged to partner with the U.S. Department of State, and share in their resolve to end violence against women. As the company for women, we are equally committed to providing women with an economic opportunity as we are serving as a change agent for critical issues that face women worldwide," said Jung. "We believe the answer to this complex problem lies in forging strong partnerships between the public and private sectors. If we fuse our strengths -- the vast resources and commitment from the private sector, combined with the public sector's regional expertise and grassroots networks -- then our collective efforts can chart a course for a life free of violence against women everywhere."


These new efforts underscore Avon's ongoing commitment to ending violence against women, which includes the Speak Out Against Domestic Violence program launched by Avon and the Avon Foundation for Women in 2004. These efforts have expanded to 45 countries including award-winning programs in Mexico and the Czech Republic. Behind the success of these initiatives is much-needed grassroots mobilization and fundraising driven by the company's network of 6 million Avon Sales Representatives worldwide. To date, Avon global philanthropy has committed more than $16 million to end violence against women, including $8 million coming from the global sales of Avon Empowerment Products developed in partnership with Witherspoon.


"I am proud to serve as Avon Global Ambassador and represent a company with a conscience and the courage to take on hard issues. Although we face many challenges around the world, nothing is more important than ensuring the safety of women and girls everywhere," says Witherspoon. "Investments like the one announced today by the Avon Foundation and the U.S. Department of State are essential to the development and implementation of programs to end this global crisis."


The Avon Foundation for Women, along with Vital Voices, is also collaborating with the U.S. Department of State to host a three-day conference, The Global Partnership to End Violence Against Women in Washington, D.C., from March 9-11. This innovative public-private partnership, which is founded on the premise that local experts are best suited to know what solutions will work in their own communities, will foster the creation of cross-sector collaborations with the goal of reducing violence against women.


To facilitate the Global Partnership, Avon and the Avon Foundation for Women donated $1.2 million to Vital Voices to bring together 15 country delegations consisting of leaders from diverse sectors -- business, government, law enforcement, the nongovernmental organization (NGO) community, academia and others -- in a global forum to share insights, forge collaborations, and seek ways to overcome challenging cultural realities that have been barriers to progress. The Global Partnership will support regional events in India and Argentina in the fall of 2010. Additionally, the Global Partnership will create a violence against women campaign Toolkit that will provide information and strategies to develop effective advocacy, awareness and education campaigns and programs that NGOs can use to reduce violence against women in any country.


Avon Products, Inc.


Avon, the company for women, is a leading global beauty company, with over $10 billion in annual revenue. As the world's largest direct seller, Avon markets to women in more than 100 countries through approximately 6 million independent Avon Sales Representatives. Avon's product line includes beauty products, as well as fashion and home products, and features such well-recognized brand names as Avon Color, Anew, Skin-So-Soft, Advance Techniques, Avon Naturals, and Mark. Learn more about Avon and its products at www.avoncompany.com.


Avon Foundation for Women


The Avon Foundation for Women (www.avonfoundation.org) is the world's largest corporate-affiliated philanthropy focused on women's issues. Since it was founded in 1955, the Avon Foundation has been committed to the mission to improve the lives of women and their families. Now past the half century milestone, the Avon Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity that today brings this mission to life through two key areas of focus: breast cancer and domestic violence. Through 2009, Avon global philanthropy has donated more than $725 million in over 50 countries for causes most important to women.


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PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com Video: http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/avon/37730
Source: Avon Foundation for Women

CONTACT: Debbie Coffey, +1-917-754-2932


Web Site: http://www.avoncompany.com/
http://www.avonfoundation.org/

Video: Avon Global Ambassador Reese Witherspoon Signs Petition To Call for Better Services for Women Experiencing Domestic Violence

22:30 2 Dec 2009



Video: Avon Global Ambassador Reese Witherspoon Signs Petition To Call for Better Services for Women Experiencing Domestic Violence


Reese Witherspoon, Global Ambassador for Avon, headlined a press conference at the House of Commons today to promote a powerful new campaign against domestic violence. The campaign has been launched jointly by Avon Cosmetics and Refuge...


Reese Witherspoon supports Avon and Refuge's groundbreaking new campaign at the Houses of Parliament



Avon Global Ambassador Reese Witherspoon speaks out against domestic violence at The Houses of Parliament in London, UK.

London, December 02, 2009 /PRNewswire/ — Reese Witherspoon, Global Ambassador for Avon, headlined a press conference at the House of Commons today to promote a powerful new campaign against domestic violence. The campaign has been launched jointly by Avon Cosmetics and Refuge, the national domestic violence charity. The event saw Reese Witherspoon become the 1353rd person to sign a petition to call for more Government support for women experiencing domestic violence in the UK.

The event marks the mid-point in "16 Days of Activism" which began on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

Avon and Refuge's FOUR WAYS TO SPEAK OUT campaign urges people to speak out against domestic violence in four simple ways:

Buy and wear an Avon empowerment necklace
Sign a petition calling for the UK Government to provide more support services for abused women and children
Download a poster to display in your local community so that women know where to get help
Invite your friends and family to join the campaign
A team of powerful female panellists joined Reese Witherspoon at the event. She sat alongside Anna Segatti, President of Avon UK and Sandra Horley, Chief Executive of Refuge. Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, a human rights barrister and Patron of Refuge opened the speeches for the morning and domestic violence survivor, Wendy Turner Webster, joined the panel to tell her own story. Lynda Waltho MP acted as the host.

Says Reese Witherspoon, Avon's Global Ambassador:
"Women involved in domestic violence situations often find it difficult to reach out to others for help. We can all play a role in bringing this issue to light and breaking the silence that surrounds it. That's why I'm so proud to be here to launch Avon and Refuge's FOUR WAYS TO SPEAK OUT campaign. Together we can make a difference. Together we have the power to raise awareness, provide support, and increase the funding for this vital cause."

Also announced at today's conference are the results of new research commissioned by Avon and Refuge into perceptions of domestic violence in the UK, which reveals more than nine in 10 people (92%) claim they don't know anyone experiencing domestic violence. That's despite official statistics showing that one in four women in England and Wales experience domestic violence at some point in their lifetime. The research also shows over half of the people questioned (54%) wouldn't know where to turn if they did suspect someone they knew was experiencing domestic violence.

Says Anna Segatti, President of Avon UK:
"As the company for women, empowering women by supporting vital causes like this is part of our DNA. It's an ugly reality that domestic violence affects one in four women in the UK and the majority of people who think they know someone experiencing domestic violence wouldn't know where to turn because the services simply aren't there. Today's event gives something tangible to all those women and men who are either not aware of this silent pandemic or would not know where to turn if they thought someone was suffering."

Says Sandra Horley, OBE, Chief Executive of Refuge:
"It's a shocking fact that one in three local authorities provide no domestic violence services for women whatsoever. Where are abused women supposed to go to get help? What can they do? To whom can they turn? Refuge and Avon have launched this campaign to urge the Government to put an end to this postcode lottery, and to raise awareness of the huge issue of domestic violence. Everyone everywhere must speak out. By failing to speak out against domestic violence, we make ourselves part of the problem.

"Refuge is incredibly grateful to Avon for its unstinting support over the last two years. In this current economic climate, where many corporates are tightening the purse strings, it is a huge reassurance to have such a dedicated partner. With Avon's help we have been able to reach many more women and children living in the terrifying grip of domestic violence."

Avon has supported Refuge for the last two years, donating 80% of the UK proceeds of its empowerment necklace and bracelet to support services for abused women and children. The remaining 20% is donated to UNIFEM in the UK. Worldwide sales have raised $8.1 million, which has gone towards funding programmes in 53 countries. Avon UK has pledged to more than double its support for domestic violence charities in 2010.

Contacts:
Avon Products, Inc.
Natalie Deacon
+44 (0)7725 150853
Natalie.Deacon@avon.com
Elizabeth P. Bergman
212.282.8197
elizabeth.bergman@avon.com