L’Oréal supports highly vulnerable women
Women all over the world have been and continue to be disproportionately affected by the social and economic crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The L’Oréal Fund for Women aims to help them.
Supporting women, the first victims of the public health crisis
All across the globe, the public health crisis has exacerbated existing inequalities. Women, who account for a majority of workers in the informal economy and in the most heavily impacted industries, have been hit particularly hard. They have lost income and seen their living conditions deteriorate. Many single mothers, who make up the vast majority of single-parent families, have had to rely on food banks to meet their families’ needs. Women have also been the victims of a rise in domestic and sexual violence (+25% worldwide), particularly during pandemic lockdowns.
Faced with this disturbing situation, L’Oréal set out to help women whose circumstances have worsened due to lack of job security and/or violence.
A solidarity fund for highly vulnerable women
In 2020, the Group created the L’Oréal Fund for Women as part of its L’Oréal for the Future programme. The €50 million solidarity fund, which will be distributed over three years, aims to promote and support any initiative run by local public interest groups to help highly vulnerable women anywhere in the world, with priority given to helping women facing severe financial hardship, backed by efforts to prevent domestic and sexual violence and assist victims. The Group is particularly committed to supporting projects that aim to help women with multiple and serious vulnerabilities, such as those who are refugees or have disabilities.
The L’Oréal Fund for Women aims to actively contribute to the resilience of women and girls by funding social and professional inclusion projects and fighting for equal access to education. Since it launched, the L’Oréal Fund for Women has provided support for nearly 120 organisations in close to 30 countries, directly helping over 400,000 women and girls and indirectly helping more than 700,000 people in their communities.
Also discover
Combining economic and social excellence
Tackling financial insecurity and violence against women all over the world
Most notably this year, L’Oréal supported non-profit organisation Shamsaha, based in Bahrain, in its mission to protect, defend and empower women in GCC countries. It is the only organisation in the Middle East that provides round-the-clock assistance for victims of sexual and domestic violence, from medical, psychological and legal support to free food, basic necessities and access to means of transport. L’Oréal’s financial backing enables Shamsaha to extend its on-the-ground support in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Kuwait.
L’Oréal also underpinned a number of other initiatives including Education for Women Now by Aide et Action, Women Without Borders in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Kosovo and Zanzibar, La Maison des Femmes in France, and the UNHCR in Thailand, Colombia and Argentina. These organisations operate in a wide range of areas such as preventing violence against women, professional inclusion, and education for young women.
