IKEA has always been on the frontline when speaking about gender equality and especially the issue of domestic violence in Italy. With SÄKERHET, though, its commitment got even more significant, shifting from an awareness approach to an intention of concrete change.

The operation tackled a specific side of the problem, the lack of support for the victims by institutions, due to the inefficiency of the current ì legislation. This allowed us to focus on a precise purpose - the approval of a pending draft law which would fill up the legislative void about victims' protection - so to enable a meaningful change on the overall matter.

SÄKERHET reached the Italian Parliament and got IKEA an invitation to the Capitoline Hill to bring our message. Even better, in February 2023, the Senate instituted a board of inquiry for femicide and gender-based violence.

IKEA has always promoted an idea of home where everyone can feel comfortable, without any form of distinction. Unfortunately, for many Italian women "feeling at home" means not feeling safe because of domestic violence. This affects as well the way they live the environment, turning the same furniture into a shelter from aggressions. In the past IKEA has already committed to the cause, but this year the objective was not only to create awareness about this dramatic distortion of reality, but to actively operate to enable a real change. SÄKERHET tackled both of these goals, highliting the issue and promoting the approval of an existing pending draft law that would save a lot of women from domestic violence and give them back a rightful sense of home.

In Italy one woman out of 3 experienced at least an episode of violence in her life and 93% of the aggression happen inside the home walls. Furthermore, 9 out of 10 women don’t report domestic violence, fearing not to be supported or even believed by the institutions. Because of this lack of intervention on the topic, Italy has been strongly reprimanded by the UN for its weak involvement in combating violence against women. Most feminicides, in fact, occur as a result of suing that remained unheard or due to the lack of prosecution of violent partners.

Despite the law proposals advanced over the years, large legislative gaps have always emerged which have precluded the victims from receiving the right protection from the State.

That's why today women are still forced to look for alternative solutions (such as using their furnitures as shelter) to escape violence, as the law itself is not effective enough.

On November 25th 2022, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, we launched SÄKERHET, a wardrobe specific lock designed to close yourself from the inside, saving women from domestic violence. After presenting it with a classic ominichannel launch, as any new IKEA product, we sparked some confusion among the public opinion, only to reveal afterwards the sad truth: if you are a woman in Italy, a lock can protect you more than the law. Thus, we highlighted the urgency to approve the pending law to finally give to domestic violence victims a rightful protection.

IKEA has always been synonymous with home, a place to associate with an idea of safety.

Yet in Italy about 93% of domestic violence takes place inside home. Though, for most of the victims, staying in a situation of domestic danger is safer than asking for help from the Institutions. That’s why our strategy was based on disrupting the positive perception of ‘life at home’ connected to the brand, starting from its most powerful touchpoint: the store. We aimed to capture the attention of a broad target (18+) who could act as an active spokesperson for the problem. The campaign took place in all 21 IKEA Italy stores and all channels, with the support of influencers and a strong PR amplification. We didn't stop at the many individuals, reaching those in power to really make a change, by sending SÄKERHET to over 90 politicians, up to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, IKEA launched SÄKERHET, a wardrobe specific lock designed to shut yourself from the inside. A brand-new product with a strong provocative nature and an even stronger message: if you are a woman in Italy, a lock can protect you more than the law. SÄKERHET was launched with an omnichannel approach, with a special focus on the instore display, where the wardrobes became the outstanding media to let the customers face the disturbing reality firsthand. The campaign took place in all 21 IKEA stores across Italy and on all IKEA channels, with the support of the influencers, to spread the message to the widest audience. Our approach didn't stop at our customers, but we involved over 90 politicians as well - up to the Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni - urging them to use their powers to make a real change.

IKEA has always committed to gender equality causes, such as the defense of women victims of domestic violence. This year the action wasn't just raising awareness, but took a more concrete turn, increasing the brand's credibility around the subject. SÄKERHET caught the attention of all customers who visited all the 21 Italian IKEA stores, achieving a national scale impact. This triggered a great conversation by reporting more than 50M total reach.

Plus, on social media, the campaign was overwhelmed with supporting and enthusiastic comments and reactions, recording a 100% positive sentiment. Furthermore, SÄKERHET reached the Italian Parliament involving almost 100 politicians - up to the Minister for Equal Opportunities and the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni -, and IKEA got invited to bring its message to the Capitoline Hill. But, more importantly, in February 2023, the Senate instituted a board of inquiry for femicide and gender-based violence.