Embrace Program

Accor’s Embrace Program: Supporting Women Victims of Violence

During the COVID-19 pandemic, violence against women and girls surged globally. In Brazil, feminicide increased by 22% in March and April of 2020 compared to the previous year. Factors such as high unemployment rates, financial instability, and the stress of confinement contributed to this rise in violence.

In response, Accor launched the Embrace Program in 2020 to help women escape violent environments. By September 2022, the program had provided shelter to 187 women and 227 children, offering over 2300 room nights at Accor hotels in 210 municipalities across 18 Brazilian states. Additionally, more than 200 women received free social, legal, and psychological services through a partnership with the NGO Bem Querer Mulher.

The program was initiated by RiiSE, Accor’s gender equality and women empowerment program, and funded by the Social Investment Fund for the End of Violence Against Women and Girls (fundoISP). This fund was created through a partnership between Accor’s @All Heartist charity fund and Instituto Avon, along with governmental entities, charity institutions, and NGOs.

Accor adapted its operations to provide full board, laundry services, and a special non-profitable room rate for the women and their children. Employees received training and structured content to support the program. The company remains deeply engaged in the initiative.

Embrace Program Guidelines:

1. Rescue and Sheltering: Partner institutions and Bem Querer Mulher make initial contact with the women, handle reservations, and support the victims.
2. Hosting: Accor provides comfortable and secure accommodation, with trained employees acting as liaisons between the women and Bem Querer Mulher.
3. Emotional Support: The program ensures victims receive empathetic, respectful support from protective institutions and Bem Querer Mulher.
4. Qualification and Training: Victims receive self-care, emotional intelligence, and skills development training from Accor Corporate University, Accor Academy, and partners to empower them and facilitate workforce integration.
5. Reinsertion: After their stay, women are either taken to permanent shelters or supported to resume their personal and professional lives.

Accor’s extensive hotel network in Brazil allows for the sheltering of many women, even in secondary cities. The company’s expertise, developed over 40 years in Brazil, ensures a safe and comfortable stay for the victims, with quality amenities and strict sanitization protocols.

Given the program’s success, Accor and Instituto Avon have transformed the temporary fund into a permanent program, aiming to cover all 26 Brazilian states and the Federal District. Accor plans to extend the program to other South American countries to support even more women.

Inspired by the Embrace Program, Accor also created the Help Line, a confidential internal channel providing psychological, social, and legal support for female employees experiencing violence. The Embrace Program is an innovative initiative that significantly contributes to societal ESG causes and reinforces public policies protecting women and girls.