International hotel brand, Accor, has committed to helping female victims of violence through a new partnership which will see it translate
a directory of abuse support services into 15 languages.
The directory, Lila.help, is a collaboration between organisations
including the Global Network of Women Shelters, UN Women, National Network to
End Domestic Violence and Meta, for victims of domestic abuse and sexual
violence.
Lila.help provides a directory of helplines, local shelters
and crisis centres around the world, containing information on opening hours,
contact details and service types. As part of its commitment, Accor will
translate this information into 15 of the world’s most used languages.
“With Lila.help, we aim to provide a comprehensive, safe and
accurate overview of support services across the globe. In this way, wherever
you are, you can trust in Lila.help,” said Margot Kuijpers, project leader
Lila.help, on behalf of the Global Network of Women’s Shelters.
“We have high ambitions for our platform; besides further
developing our directory – by adding support services, creating awareness and
improving our technology – we aim to create added value for organizations that
join Lila.help. Even the smallest NGOs in the most remote areas should feel
that they are not alone in the battle against gender-based violence.”
Accor has already made commitments in this space through a
partnership with the Turkish government in 2015 to support women in shelters to
become independent through training in the hospitality professions.
“For Accor, women’s rights and gender equality are central
parts of our diversity and inclusion policy and we strive to ensure all female
talents and guests in our hotels feel protected, included and empowered to
achieve their aspirations. Furthermore, Accor is deeply committed to being a
social elevator in the communities within which it operates and contributing to
initiatives such as Lila.help is key to achieving this aim through making a
concrete difference beyond the walls of our hotels,” said Accor senior vice
president for diversity and social care, Anne-Sophie Beraud.
A desire to travel led Holly Patrick to the business meetings and events world and she’s never looked back. Holly takes a particular interest in event sustainability and creating a diverse and inclusive industry. When she’s not working, she can be found rolling skating along Brighton seafront listening to an eclectic playlist, featuring the likes of Patti Smith, Sean Paul, and Arooj Aftab.
