Why Keira Knightley taking a beating is a good thing

No matter how successful and confident you are, anybody can be a victim of domestic violence. Singer Rihanna proved that in February. Now it's British actress Keira Knightely's turn. Luckily, she's only acting. Nonetheless the ad has caused quite a shock. But it is it realistic? A domestic violence aid worker tells us more.

The spot, directed by Atonement's Joe Wright, has been shocking British TV and cinema audiences since the start of the month. The campaign comes from Women's Aid in an attempt to draw attention to the number of women affected by domestic violence in the UK: in England and Wales alone, two women die each week from domestic abuse.

"It’s very important to show the blows"

Marie Ange Petit is a member of the Anti-violence against women association (ACVIF) in Reims, northern France.

This spot is very effective. Most campaigns present us with a poor, helpless woman and only suggest violence rather than showing it. I however think it's very important to show the blows because it's the only way for people to properly realise the hell these women are subjected to, and this ad does that very well.

The campaign also shows that this type of violence is happening everywhere. The fact that the victim is a pretty woman, young and talented, means the message really hits home. Both housewives and ministers' wives can fall victim to domestic violence.

The clip is also realistic. Many of the women I've dealt with have told me that they don't understand why their husbands hit them. Partners with violent tendencies are often quite unpredictable. They can turn on their girlfriend or wife because she didn't cook dinner, because she arrived 15 minutes, but then five minutes later, they might buy her flowers, make love to her tenderly or take her out to dinner.  

I wish we'd do the same kind of ad in France. It would add weight to previous messages about the psychological description of abusers, reminding viewers of this split-personality aspect."

The ad