• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, March 7, 2011

Avon says it is expanding its marketing efforts to stop global violence against women, and is offering a $10 Women's Empowerment Bracelet to raise funds for its mission.

As in past years, the campaign will be spearheaded by actress Reese Witherspoon, the cosmetic company's celebrity ambassador, and kick off on March 8th, the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day. So far, the company says its International Women's Day Avon Empowerment products and programs have raised more than $30 million to end violence against women. That includes sales of the first bracelet, launched back in 2008.

Avon, which has mostly flexed its fundraising muscle on behalf of breast cancer, says that in the U.S., a typical day means three women will be murdered by an intimate partner, 70,000-plus victims will receive services from domestic violence programs, another 10,000 will be turned away for lack of resources, and domestic violence hotlines will receive more than 22,000 calls.

All profits—about $8.04 per bracelet—go directly to Avon Foundation for Women programs dedicated to ending violence. The blue bracelets include assorted faux-stone, glass and silvertone beads with an "infinity" charm on a stretch bracelet, which the New York-based company says is meant to represent "the unlimited opportunities for women when they live violence-free lives."