Reese Witherspoon’s stand against domestic violence

Reese Witherspoon, the Hollywood actress, has visited the House of Commons to raise awareness of domestic violence...

Reese Witherspoon, the star of Legally Blonde, has backed a joint campaign by Avon and the charity Refuge to get more Government funding for victim support services in the UK.

She said: ‘There remains what can seem like an impenetrable wall of silence around violence and we must all play a role in breaking this silence.'

An Avon-commissioned YouGov research was published today, which suggested that 92% of people think they do not know anyone suffering from domestic violence when in fact one in four women will do so in their lifetime.

Witherspoon signed a petition today calling on the Government to provide more funding for domestic abuse services so there is complete coverage across the UK.

Refuge trustee and criminal lawyer Baroness Kennedy, who has defended women on trial for murdering abusive partners, said: ‘The energy that's coming into this campaign from women from all parts of this country is very sustaining to us but it has to be a campaign that's taken up by men too.'

The Avon and Refuge campaign, called Four Ways To Speak Out, focuses on encouraging people to sign the funding petition, to speak to friends and family about the campaign, and to put up a poster to publicise where to get help.

Avon is also selling an ‘empowerment' necklace to raise funds for domestic violence charities and plans to double its funding for the cause next year.

The event marks the midpoint of 16 days of activism to launch the campaign. CLICK HERE FOR MORE WORLD NEWS