Keira Knightley Beaten in New Ad

CutMovie.co.uk

Keira Knightley getting beaten. Not a pretty sight.

Although both Ms. Knightley is not really being beaten- both she and the man who's kicking her are obviously acting- it's still a disturbing image. This ad by the British charity Women's Aid is being aired to raise awareness about domestic violence. Not surprisingly, it's already generating plenty of controversy..
Did this ad go too far? Personally, I'm mixed on the opinion. On one hand, the sight of Ms. Knightley being kicked and slapped does go a bit too far. It seems a little too real. But on the other hand, I applaud the bravery of the Women's Aid charity for boldly use the image in what is called a "shock ad", to bring to light the very real scourge of domestic violence. No one- woman or man (yes, men do account for about five percent of domestic violence victims)- should ever be hurt by the person who has sworn to love and protect them.

What can we do to stop this? There is support to help victims- and their abusers, too- get help. It's not easy to leave a situation, or even change it. But with the right circle of support, domestic violence can be halted. Let's all stop this scourge before another person loses their life at the hands of their abuser.

Here are a few resources to turn to:

In the United States:
National Domestic Violence Hotline: http://www.ndvh.org 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence: http://www.ncadv.org (use the NDVH toll free number)

In the United Kingdom:
Women's Aid: http://www.womensaid.org.uk/ 0808 2000 247 (co-sponsored by Refuge)

In Canada:
Safe Canada: http://www.safecanada.ca

Since I do this blog from Portland, Oregon, I'll list some local numbers and websites for the Portland/Vancouver/Salem area:
Raphael House of Portland: http://www.raphaelhouse.com
Portland Police Bureau Women Strength offers defense training for everyone. Go to the Portland Online website, http://www.portlandonline.com, and type inside the search square "Women Strength" (don't worry about capitalization. it'll get you to where you need to go). Or you can call 503-823-0260
Multnomah County Dept. of County Human Services: http://www.co.multnomah.or.us/dchs/dv/, 1-888-235-5333 (503-235-5333 in Portland)
In Vancouver and Clark County, Washington: http://www.co.clark.wa.us/sheriff/community/domestic.html, 360-695-0501 in Clark County; 1-800-562-6025 throughout Washington state; and the above national number for the NDVH.
In Salem and Marion County: Mid-Valley Women's Crisis Service, http://www.mvwcs.com/domesticviolence.html, 503-399-7722, or 1-866-399-7722.

Together, we can stop domestic abuse.

Copyright (C) 2009 by Darren W. Alexander
All Rights Reserved.