Women’s Aid Patron Melanie Brown’s video with composer Fabio d’Andrea ‘Love Should Not Hurt’ raises vital awareness of domestic abuse.
Watch this new music video from Women’s Aid in collaboration with classical composer Fabio D’Andrea, featuring Women’s Aid patron Melanie Brown.
A moving portrayal of the devastating impacts of both physical violence and coercive control, including spying, isolation from friends and family and denying access to money. Our powerful new music video is inspired by the real-life stories of survivors.
Directed by Fabio D’Andrea with choreography developed by The Greatest Showman choreographer Ashley Wallen.
TRIGGER WARNING: This video contains scenes of domestic violence that some viewers may find distressing.
Women’s Aid is proud to launch an awareness-raising music video called Love Should Not Hurt.
National domestic abuse charity Women’s Aid is proud to launch an awareness-raising music video called Love Should Not Hurt, featuring Patron Melanie Brown (Mel B from The Spice Girls). The music release is by classical composer Fabio D’Andrea.
Love Should Not Hurt is from British classical composer Fabio D’Andrea’s new album 24 and highlights the reality of domestic abuse through music and dance.
Made in collaboration with Women’s Aid, the video was inspired by Melanie’s conversations with survivors of domestic abuse. As well as the impact of lockdown on women living with an abusive partner during the global pandemic.
Living with an abuser during lockdown
According to the Women’s Aid report A Perfect Storm, 61% of survivors living with the abuser said that the abuse had worsened and more than two-thirds said they felt they had no one to turn to during lockdown.
Women’s aid
Ten women and two children were killed by men in the first two weeks of the lockdown (between 23 March and 6 April). This is three times higher than the average in England and Wales of three women killed every two weeks (ONS 2020).
1 in 3 people has been subjected to violence in their lifetime
Estimates published by WHO indicate that globally about 1 in 3 (30%) of women worldwide have been subjected to either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime.
Every member of the cast and crew working on the video knew someone affected by domestic abuse. Including one of Fabio’s producers, whose assistant, Laureline Garcia-Bertaux, was murdered by her boyfriend two years ago.
As well as composing the music, Fabio d’Andrea directed the short film. The dance was developed by The Greatest Showman choreographer Ashley Wallen.
The video highlights both physical violence and also coercive control.
Whereby the perpetrator controls the survivor including by spying, isolating them from friends and family, and denying access to money.
Melanie Brown, Women’s Aid patron
“I’m so incredibly proud to be part of this project, which means so much to me because this is a collaboration of three things that are so important in my life – music, dance and a way to highlight the ever-increasing issue of violence towards women. It seems strange to say I am proud of showing something so brutal and disturbing, but it is my mission to raise awareness of something so many women go through every day, every week, and every month of their lives.
“This video is very real. Violence and abuse happen everywhere. And this performance represents the stories and the experiences of those women I have met, spoken to or heard about. It touches all of us.
“I have had my own experiences of abusive relationships but as patron of Women’s Aid I have spoken to so many other women, listened to what they have gone through and I know how very real the danger is to so many women out there and I’m not going to stop breaking the silence and then shame around this subject because it’s too much and we have to stand up and do something.
Melanie BrowN
“This performance represents the stories and the experiences of those women I have met, spoken to or heard about. My heart breaks for every single woman and child who suffers from any form of domestic abuse, and while the film shows a range of abuse, I want to send a clear message that you don’t have to be hit to be abused. Coercive control is at the heart of domestic abuse – it is about power and control.”
Farah Nazeer, chief executive at Women’s Aid:
“We are so grateful to Melanie Brown, Fabio d’Andrea and everyone involved for their commitment, passion and dedication in creating this powerful video. It comes at a crucial time for us, following the domestic abuse act, which, finally, after four years, has become law. Vital changes have been made. However, there are significant gaps. We will continue to campaign to ensure that all women, regardless of their immigration status, are protected from abuse, that refuges run by domestic abuse experts are properly funded, and that the family courts make judgements that put a child’s safety first. This video will raise worldwide awareness of domestic abuse and strengthen our campaigning work.”
Fabio d’Andrea, video director and music composer:
“Domestic violence exists in every section of society, but we rarely hear about it. This music and this video aim to change that. This video performance represents the stories and experiences of many women. It is very real, very raw. Violence and abuse happen everywhere. Everyone involved in this project and the production of this project had their own experiences, so this was hugely emotional for everyone. It’s heartbreaking in so many ways, but we hope this video can be used as a force for good.”
Women’s Aid
Women’s Aid is a national charity working to end abuse against women and children.
An estimated 1.6 million women in England and Wales have experienced domestic abuse in the year. Ending March 2020 with young women aged 16-24 years continuing to be the age group at most risk (ONS 2020).
That’s 1.6 million too many.
LoveRespect
Learning about abuse is an opportunity to empower yourself. It’s important to talk about what relationship abuse is. As well as what is considered ‘healthy’ and ‘unhealthy’ in your relationships.
Many of us don’t know we are in an abusive relationship until it’s too late. Usually, the relationship starts off really well, even though there are usually ‘red flags’ from the beginning.
LoveRespect is aimed at a younger audience.
World Narcissistic Abuse Awareness Day – 1st June
Don’t stay in an abusive relationship thinking it will get better. It won’t. If sharing this in my blog helps one person, it’s one more person who escapes abuse.
