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UK Wedding News

12/02/2016

Charity Launches 'Love Don't Feel Bad' Campaign

A new campaign, Love Don't Feel Bad, has been launched by Women's Aid and Avon.

To coincide with Valentine's Day, the campaign urges people to think about their relationships. Specifically, it aims to help young women recognise coercively controlling behaviour and to raise awareness of what a healthy relationship and love really are.

The initiative was launched as a new study revealed that a high number of young women have been subject to controlling behaviour in a relationship.

A total of 2,000 women, between the ages of 16 and 24, took part in the study. Of those, more than a third said they had experienced controlling behaviour from a partner.

One in 10 believe that controlling behaviour would happen because their partner didn't trust them, while just one in three women admitted they knew what "coercive control" means.

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Coercive control is when a continuous pattern of acts is used to harm, frighten or punish a victim. It can take different forms; from preventing a victim from socialising with friends, to isolating them from their family, or monitoring their actions by spyware or social media.

Elsewhere in the study, one in 20 women felt being scared of their partner was normal and acceptable, while more than a third (39%) said they had been in controlling relationships. However, 37% only knew this with hindsight, while 10% only discovered it when their family and friends highlighted their partner's behaviour.

Commenting on the findings, and the 'Love Don't Feel Bad' campaign, Polly Neate, Chief Executive of Women's Aid, said: "Women's Aid know that many girls are abused in their very first relationships, and do not know what a healthy relationship looks like. Coercive control underpins the vast majority of all abusive relationships.

"We are grateful to Avon for working with us to raise awareness of coercive control and to develop resources for young women, and for their parents and guardians, to make sure that there is relevant information and support available."

Andrea Slater, Managing Director of Avon, added: "We believe that all women should feel empowered and safe, but the sad reality is that too many women, especially younger women, simply don't know that it's not normal or right to be in a relationship where both partners aren't equal.

"This is something we need to change and why we're proud to be working with Women's Aid on the Love Don't Feel Bad campaign."

(JP/LM)

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"A new campaign, Love Don't Feel Bad, has been launched by Women's Aid and Avon."