Media Release

More women reaching out for help following domestic abuse awareness campaign success

A successful nationwide domestic abuse awareness campaign led by Shine, the nation’s largest domestic abuse organisation, and leading fashion label Verge, has led to a 20 per cent increase in calls to the Shine Helpline. The Shine Helpline provides critical support for individuals struggling with physical and psychological abuse.

Fashion Tee Shirts were sold through Verge retailers throughout New Zealand, from October to December 2011, with 100 per cent of profits going to Shine.

The campaign raised $60,000, surpassing the original target by almost nine per cent. The funds will go towards further increasing awareness of the Helpline among the 40 per cent of abused women that have reported not being able to find any help or support when they needed it most.

Following the success of the campaign, Ian Webster, Verge Design Director, encourages other New Zealand businesses, to step up and work to reduce what he perceives to be one of the country's most critical problems.

“New Zealand has one of the worst rates of domestic abuse in the world, with only Finland standing lower. We all know through the media of New Zealand’s appalling record in this area and like most of us I too, while conscious and troubled by these statistics, thought that there was not much I could personally do about it.

"Having a good friend as Chairperson of Shine and hearing about the organisation and the projects it was running to help women affected by abuse made me realise that perhaps as a business owner I could help and actually make a difference," says Ian. "The fact that one in three women are affected by abuse in their lifetime means that employees, neighbours, friends, even clients and suppliers can be the ones suffering. Domestic abuse impacts on everyone and damages both the economy and societal health. Every business owner should be deeply concerned about it and making an effort to eradicate it.

“With a bit of creative thinking it was not only possible to enhance and promote the Verge brand, but also make a positive contribution to the wellbeing of New Zealand. I believe that businesses, whatever their size, must somehow ensure they have some involvement in something that makes a difference and have a positive impact in some way on the life of New Zealanders.”

Jane Drumm, Shine's Executive Director, was surprised but delighted to be approached by Verge with an offer of support.

"These funds will not only help us provide much needed assistance to the more than 27,000 women that call us every year but will also help educate the public about what we do and how widespread domestic abuse really is," says Jane.

“Attracting sponsorship is always tough, especially as we are dealing with something that many people would rather not acknowledge. This past year has been especially challenging, with companies still struggling financially and cutting budgets across the board. We are amazed and very grateful that a New Zealand business has thrown their support behind such an uncomfortable issue. We can only hope that other New Zealand corporates will follow Verge's lead and join a concerted effort to improve the devastating domestic abuse statistics in this country."

For details about Shine, visit www.2shine.org.nz. Further information on Verge, along with a list of retailers, can be found at www.verge.co.nz.

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