Henkel Beauty Care and Pro Juventute set an example against cyberbullying

According to the dictionary, cyberbullying is the harassment or defamation of people on the Internet. These assaults via digital media such as WhatsApp, Snapchat or Instagram are particularly widespread in Switzerland in an international comparison, as a survey by the Federal Statistical Office shows. Young people are also strongly affected. According to the JAMES 2020 study, 98 percent of adolescents in Switzerland have at least one profile on social media. A quarter of the young people surveyed said that someone had already tried to bully them on the Internet.

For more respect on the net

Henkel Beauty Care Switzerland wants to set an example against this. The company produces branded products such as Syoss, Taft and Nature Box in the areas of hair colorants, hair styling and hair care, and body and skin care. "With our beauty products, people can express their individual beauty. In social media, however, people are all too often bullied about who is peculiar or different. We are convinced that everyone deserves to feel beautiful and safe. With our 'Respect Everybody's Beauty' initiative, we are campaigning for more respect and less hate on the Internet," explains Christian Volk, General Manager and Head of Marketing at Henkel Beauty Care Switzerland. "Pro Juventute is the ideal partner for this, because the non-profit organization is the point of contact in Switzerland for children, young people and parents when it comes to the issue of cyberbullying."

Important support for protection against cyberbullying

Raising awareness of the problem, advising parents, supporting those affected - the commitment against cyberbullying is complex and cost-intensive. "Henkel Beauty Care Switzerland's contribution is important and helps us in our commitment to make digital media safer for children and young people," explains Katja Schönenberger, Director of Pro Juventute. The non-profit organization put the issue of cyberbullying on the political and social agenda 10 years ago. "Promoting media literacy is a cornerstone of our work. Cyberbullying plays an important role in this. The topic is very complex and awareness is raised at various levels. On the one hand, we want to positively influence the behavior of children and young people in social media and offer concrete support to those affected. On the other hand, it is important to sensitize parents and teachers to the topic and provide them with advice," explains Schönenberger.

Long-term commitment

With immediate effect, Henkel Beauty Care Switzerland is donating 2 percent of the profit per product sold to Pro Juventute. The joint commitment against cyberbullying is open-ended. The commitment will also be accompanied by communications on various channels: On the website Respect-everybodys-beauty.ch the initiative will be explained in detail and widely publicized as part of the advertising activities of the various brands on TV, in print publications and on digital channels with a logo developed specifically for this purpose.