Women’s Aid launch campaign

By Katie O'Keeffe

A three week long public awareness campaign for young people who are subjected to abuse in an intimate relationship was launched this week.

The focus of the Too Into You campaign, launched on Valentine's Day by Women's Aid, is to raise awareness of intimate relationship abuse as part of broader conversations on men's violence against women, sexism, consent, and sexual violence.

Women’s Aid CEO, Sarah Benson, said: “Recent discussions on men’s violence against women have been focused largely on women’s safety in public spaces and in their communities.

“However, we also need to remember that young women are commonly at risk of male violence not just by strangers, but in their intimate relationships with men. Young women in particular are subjected to coercive control including emotional, physical, sexual, and online abuse by intimate partners in relationships including casual and even short-term relationships.”

She added: “One incredibly worrying finding is that almost one in three of the young women affected never told anyone about the abuse. This is something we need to pay attention to.”

Juliana Shiel, a survivor of intimate relationship abuse and a Too Into You Ambassador, explained the importance of the campaign and how Women’s Aid can be a lifeline when you feel most alone: “When you are abused by a partner it can feel like you are trapped, like you have nowhere to turn. You can second guess yourself and feel like you are going crazy. But this is not your fault. Young people need to know that no one has the right to make you feel anxious or scared in your relationship.”

She added: “All young people deserve to have healthy, loving, and respectful relationships. The great thing about Too Into You is that it can help you spot early on if your relationship is healthy, so you don’t become trapped in a relationship that is much harder to leave later on.

“If you are worried at all about how your partner treats you, you can chat to the Women’s Aid helpline team on the Instant Messaging Service available at TooIntoYou.ie, it’s completely free and confidential. You don’t have to suffer in silence.”

Model, influencer and Too Into You Ambassador, Holly Carpenter will be releasing a number of videos on her Instagram in support of the campaign.

Visit toointoyou.ie and womensaid.ie.