Designer duo Charles & Ron have teamed up with an NGO to design a handbag that will support victims of domestic violence.

The project will see all sales of the €295 bag go to Women for Women Foundation, which supports voiceless and marginalised women. 

The bag is specifically designed to be gender-neutral to highlight that domestic violence also happens in same-sex couples.

Charles and Ron said the piece was a "symbol of strength and resilience" but also aimed to "inspire conversations and provoke thought about the crucial issue of domestic violence in relationships, including violence in same-sex relationships, which is not often spoken about".

Speaking at the launch on Thursday, Francesca Fenech Conti founder of Women for Women Foundation, said when a woman reports abuse it is often assumed that the perpetrator is a man. 

She spoke about instances when women in same-sex relationships reached out through the NGOs popular Facebook page to share their story and ask for help.

All proceeds from the Survivor Bag will go to the Women for Women Foundation.

She called for more awareness from the public as well as law enforcement officers and people working in the field of domestic violence about the reality of domestic violence in male and female same-sex couples.

The gender-neutral bag seeks to raise awareness that domestic violence knows no gender.

A total of 3,295 people made use of various services aimed at helping those experiencing domestic violence in 2021, according to recent data published by the National Statistics Office.

Out of the reports filed, 2,600 (78.9%) were women while the remaining 695 (21.1%) were men. The services used include emergency shelters for victims, helplines and suppor

From July people have been able to check whether their partner has a history of domestic abuse. The service, provided by Victims Support Agency Malta, forms part of a new law – the Domestic Violence Prevention Bill- which was greenlighted by Parliament before the summer recess. 

The Survivor Bag is exclusively available from Charles & Ron Naxxar and will also be available on the company's website.