· Tánaiste launches the “What would you do?” campaign on domestic violence.
· Funding of €950,000 for 2016 and 2017 has been secured for this campaign.
· “This campaign is about prevention. It is about empowerment and it's about support. It offers hope and support to victims of such violence and it empowers us as witnesses to such violence to find out what we can do to help stop domestic violence and to support people who are caught up in this most devastating of human experiences”. – Tánaiste
· “This campaign calls on us as relatives, friends neighbours, bystanders and witnesses to collectively say that domestic violence is not right and it must stop”. – Tánaiste
· “The current campaign provides an opportunity for each of us to start a conversation about what we would do if we came across situations such as those in the TV and radio ads. It will help to bring this violence out in the open if we discuss it among ourselves and show by example that we will not tolerate domestic violence”. – Tánaiste
The Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality, Ms. Frances Fitzgerald T.D., has today launched the national awareness campaign “What would you do?” which is a part of the Second National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence 2016-2021.
This new campaign is one of the key actions of the strategy. The Tánaiste secured funding of €950,000 for 2016 and 2017 to run campaign. In addition, funding of €200,000 has been awarded under the Dormant Accounts Fund to localise the campaign in 2016 and 2017.
Speaking at the launch the Tánaiste said, “This campaign calls on us as relatives, friends neighbours, bystanders and witnesses to collectively say that this violence is not right and it must stop. It is an opportunity for each of us to start a conversation about what we would do if we came across situations such as those in the TV and radio ads.”
“It is is about prevention. It is about empowerment and it's about support. It offers hope and support to victims of such violence and it empowers us as witnesses to such violence to find out what we can do to help stop domestic violence and to support people who are caught up in this most devastating of human experiences.”
It is intended, subject to the necessary funding being made available, that it will run for a period of 6 years up to 2021. The first 3 years will focus on domestic violence to be followed by 3 years dealing with sexual violence but elements of each violence will feature in each phase of the campaign.
The aim of the campaign is to increase the awareness of domestic and sexual violence, to bring about a change in long established societal behaviours and attitudes and to activate bystanders with the aim of decreasing and preventing this violence. It recognises that women and men are victims of such crimes. The campaign was sought by and is supported by NGO stakeholders.
“What would you do?” is a high impact media campaign to reach a national audience and it will feature TV, cinema, radio, outdoor, social and digital advertising. The call to action directs people to search the campaign website whatwouldyoudo.ie for information and advice on domestic violence.
It is recommended that bystanders and witnesses to a domestic violence incident should only get involved if it is safe and legal to do so. Search the campaign website whatwouldyoudo.ie for information and advice. If the situation is already violent or looks like escalating quickly, people should not intervene directly. Call the Gardaí on 999. The only effective bystander intervention is a non-violent one.
Note for Editors
In previous years Cosc has run an awareness raising grant scheme relating to domestic and sexual violence. In the region of €300,000 was allocated annually to NGOs to run national and local projects.
The Second National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence 2016-2021 and Action Plan is available at www.cosc.ie.
Contracts were awarded following a rigorous EU tendering process for a national awareness campaign to Cawley Nea/TBWA, the successful creative agency and PHD, the successful media buying agency. The agencies are working with Cosc - the National Office for the Prevention of Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence to develop and implement the campaign.
Statistics on Domestic Violence:
The findings of the National Crime Council’s National Study of Domestic Abuse by Watson and Parsons, (2005) show that:
§ 15 per cent of women and 6 per cent of men have experienced severely abusive behaviour from a partner.
§ 29 per cent of women and 26 per cent of men suffer domestic abuse when severe abuse and minor incidents are combined.
§ In the region of 213,000 women and 88,000 men in Ireland have been severely abused by a partner at some point in their lives.
The findings of the Cosc survey of Attitudes to Domestic Abuse in Ireland by Horgan et al, (2008) show that:
§ Just over 70 per cent of people consider domestic abuse to be a common problem in Ireland.
§ 44 per cent of people know somebody who personally had been a victim of domestic abuse.
§ 94 per cent of people would help a friend, 65 per cent would help a stranger and 38 per cent would help a neighbour being subjected to domestic abuse.
Please use the hashtag #whatwouldyoudo