A domestic abuse charity has accused Love Island of misogyny, stating gaslighting and manipulation is at play.
Refuge issued a statement condemning the behaviour of some of the men on Love Island after there's been some criticism about how the men are treating their partners.
The fallout from movie night saw the boys laughing as several female islanders were visibly upset whilst defending their own actions. Tasha and Ekin-Su have also been singled out multiple times, labelled as "game players" with disrespectful comments made about their approach to dating.
READ MORE: Who do you think deserves to win Love Island 2022
Taking to Twitter to share their dismay with the programme, one viewer said: "I want a statement from Ofcom. I want a statement from Women’s Aid. I want a statement from the National hearing loss charity. I want a statement from the Anti-Bullying Alliance."
Refuge, a specialist charity for survivors of domestic abuse, replied to the comment with a full statement sharing their disapproval of what is happening in the villa. Their CEO, Ruth Davidson, who penned the statement, said: "Refuge is increasingly concerned about the misogynistic and abusive behaviours being displayed in this year’s series of Love Island.
"Love Island has a huge audience, particularly amongst young people and Refuge urge the producers of the show to recognise and respond to abusive behaviour when it happens. Popular culture has an important role to play in challenging these behaviours rather than perpetuating them.
"Gaslighting and emotional manipulation are types of behaviour that can be displayed by perpetrators of domestic abuse. Coercive control is a form of domestic abuse and is a crime. That this behaviour appears to be carried out by some men in the villa and broadcast as entertainment is extremely troubling and should be called out."
Ruth added: "Refuge is pleased to hear Love Island is now in discussions with Women’s Aid about starting to address these issues and Refuge would of course be pleased to input into these important discussions."
The Liverpool Echo contacted ITV for a statement in which they said they and their care team take these claims and support for the islanders very seriously. Their full statement said: "We cannot stress highly enough how seriously we treat the emotional well-being of all of our Islanders. Welfare is always our greatest concern, and we have dedicated welfare producers and psychological support on hand at all times, who monitor and regularly speak to all of the Islanders in private and off camera.
"Ahead of this series, contributors on the show were offered video training and guidance covering inclusive language around disability, sexuality, race and ethnicity, behaviours and microaggressions. We are always looking at how we expand and evolve on this training to ensure that all of our Islanders feel they are part of a safe and inclusive environment."
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