Spot the Flags: A campaign to fight against coercive control by Women’s Aid, Merman and LADbible
- Women’s Aid, LADbible, and Merman have partnered on a new campaign which calls the public to spot the red flags of coercive, controlling and abusive behaviour in relationships.
- From the makers of Catastrophe and Bad Sisters, comes a brand-new short film ‘Van-Wife’ exploring the insidious nature of coercive control in our society.
- The campaign is supported by Teen Mom UK star Mia Boardman, who shares her experience of domestic abuse in a new episode of LADbible’s “No Filter”.
Domestic abuse charity Women’s Aid have launched a new campaign with leading social publisher LADbible and renowned production company Merman, to help people spot the signs of coercive and controlling behaviour.
Since landmark legislation in 2015, which Women’s Aid played an invaluable role in establishing, made coercive and controlling behaviour a criminal offence, the number of cases reported to the police has been on an upward trend, with more than 43,000 cases reported in 2023. Despite the prevalence of this behaviour, society often fails to recognise coercive control as the insidious form of abuse that it is.
The nature of domestic abuse means that it often begins with ‘red flag’ coercive and controlling behaviours like commenting on the outfit a victim/survivor is wearing, before escalating into other forms of abuse.
With at least one woman killed weekly by a current or former partner, identifying and challenging coercive behaviours early is crucial for saving lives.
As part of the campaign, Merman has produced the thought-provoking film “Van Wife,” which follows young couple Liv and Jack on a campervan adventure, revealing how coercive behaviours escalate into abuse. Liv’s friend Duncan observes these red flags and becomes increasingly concerned.
“Van Wife” encourages the audience to recognise red flags in relationships and to question and challenge perpetrator’s problematic behaviours before it’s too late.
The Van Wife film will be featured on LADbible’s channels, including a full site takeover, dedicated website hub, and a series of articles on coercive and controlling behaviour.
To further support, LADbible has created social-first content inspired by the film, partnering with the actors for segments like “A Day in A Van Life” and “Asking For a Friend,” along with educational content shared on TikTok and Instagram to its 27.3 million followers.
A new instalment of ‘No Filter’, an interview series to uncover a real-life story has been also produced by LADbible with Women’s Aid ambassador and Teen Mom UK star Mia Boardman. In this, Mia talks about her own experience of abuse, illustrating the impact of coercive and controlling behaviour on her life.
As the 9-year anniversary of the criminalisation of coercive and controlling behaviour approaches, it’s crucial for society to unite in addressing red flags in relationships and protecting the women and children most affected by this abuse. Media companies play a vital role in driving this societal shift, making the partnership between LADbible, Merman, and Women’s Aid invaluable.
Farah Nazeer, Chief Executive of Women’s Aid, said: “Domestic abuse is an epidemic, with reports of coercive and controlling behaviour rising year on year and more and more women needing our support. As a society, we need to come together to recognise and challenge red flags we see in the relationships around us.
In year ending March 2023, more than 97% of those convicted of controlling or coercive behaviours were men. Men are key in to challenging abusive behaviours. Campaigns like ‘Spot the Flags’ in partnership with LADbible, who have such a large male following, are therefore invaluable if we want to end domestic abuse for good. We are so grateful for their support.
Our thanks also go to renowned production company, Merman, who has helped to so powerfully bring to life the insidious nature of domestic abuse and coercive control in this important new film that forms the crux of our latest campaign.”
LA Ronayne, Executive Creative Director of LADbible said: “We are so proud to partner with Women’s Aid and Merman to spark conversation around coercive behaviour. Together we’ve created a social-first campaign on a topic that can be difficult to address; using powerful storytelling and the formats we know will resonate with young people. We hope this will help break the cycle and foster change.
Sharon Horgan, Founder of MERMAN said: “Working with Women’s Aid to mark the 50th Anniversary of the charity by creating an original film with our team at Merman Branded Entertainment was a privilege. Drawing upon our pool of writers, directors and producers we made a ten minute short that highlights how coercive control can affect young people and how important it is to recognise the signs. We hope it helps highlight this behaviour and continues the good work Women’s Aid have done historically.”
Watch the full Van Wife video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfOy1V7zS50
Watch the episode of No Filter with Mia Boardman here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNofrc0NLSc&ab_channel=LADbibleTV