In Italy, domestic violence is a true national emergency, with nearly 25,000 cases of stalking and mistreatment reported in the first six months of 2024. However, many forms of abuse remain unrecognized and unreported, and although the 1522 helpline exists, few people are aware of it.
This is why, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, we launched The Red Flag Tag, a campaign designed to raise awareness about the Anti-Violence and Stalking number 1522 and all those “red flags” that are often unrecognized forms of domestic violence, with the risk of underestimating them and triggering the darkest of escalations, femicide, of which Italy has held a sad record for years. To do this, we have reinvented the IKEA’s iconic P-Tags which are normally used to identify products, to help everyone recognize violence at its first signs. Instead of the shelf number, people found the Helpline 1522, a concrete support to escape domestic violence.
The new tags took over in every area of IKEA stores across Italy — including restaurants, bathrooms, staff areas and parking lots — and each product was linked to a contextual Red Flag, from a real story of domestic abuse. Through a QR code, people could learn more about the victims and listen to their testimonies in a dedicated podcast.