Domestic abuse charity Refuge has unveiled a “red flag” installation at London entertainment space Outernet to highlight the “unseen, unrecognised and unreported” forms of control and harm women face.
The activation, which features commentary from domestic abuse survivors, is a follow up to its ‘Make the World a Refuge’ campaign.
Its execution, which will run on International Women’s Day (8 March), was devised by London-based creative agency AMV BBDO, with support from event services firm Pixel Artworks and production house Collective Studios.
Refuge’s campaign uses the “often trivialised” image of the red flag as a signal of abusive traits. The charity aims to show that ‘no red flag is too small’.
Refuge ambassador Olivia Colman said: “Abuse doesn’t always look the way we expect it to. It’s in the small moments, the quiet control, and the silent manipulations. No red flag is too small to be noticed because every woman deserves to live without fear.”
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The campaign comes as a YouGov survey reported 1 in 4 women in the UK will experience domestic violence within their lifetime.
The research also highlighted that 74% of respondents underestimated the prevalence of domestic abuse in the UK.
According to YouGov, only 39% of people would report “less understood” forms of abuse such as controlling behaviour and financial, technology-facilitated and psychological abuse.
Abigail Ampofo, interim chief executive of Refuge, said: “Domestic abuse often operates in the shadows, manifesting in subtle, insidious ways that are hard to recognise. As technology and cultural norms evolve, abuse becomes more difficult to spot. This campaign seeks to expose these hidden forms, using the voices of survivors to make the red flags impossible to ignore.
“We want women to know they are not alone, and Refuge is here to support them. We’re grateful to everyone who helped bring this campaign to life and are excited to share it on International Women’s Day.”
As part of its plans to drive awareness on domestic abuse, survivors’ stories will be shared across social media by the charity’s ambassadors. The campaign also uses digital out-of-home executions in London, Bristol and Birmingham.
Poet and actor Caitlin O’Ryan has written a poem that will be performed on International Women’s Day.
