Campaigns to End Violence against Women and Girls - Virtual ...

After the poster was adapted to show the female protagonist with a short, simple haircut
common among Kisumu rural women, viewers easily recognized that the image was
depicting a domestic violence scene.
Source: Stella Maranga, OXFAM, private communication
“Why” questions applied to communications tools and activities
“Why” questions are a simple way to test the envisaged tool or action against the overall
strategy. Just ask, possibly in a group involving members of the target audiences, “Why
do we want to use this tool?” and keep questioning the answers until you have
completed at least five rounds of questions and answers.
For example, in a campaign that was assessing the use of bus advertisements as an
effective way to reach audiences (adapted from Empowering Messages: What You
Should Know: Strategic Communication and Gender-based Violence, Media Monitoring
Africa):
Q1. Why are we doing this bus poster campaign against domestic violence?
A1. Because this is the best way of getting our chosen audience to notice our message.
Q2. Why do we want them to notice it?
A2. Because if they notice it, we believe they will react positively to it.
Q3. Why do we want them to react to it?
A3. If they react, it will increase awareness and prepare them for changing their
behaviour.
Q4. Why do we want them to change their behaviour?
A4. If women know that X,Y,Z are all forms of violence, and they can call the “AAA”
service for confidential legal and financial assistance, they may access the service and
be empowered to leave their partners or find information for family and friends, thus
reducing the incidence of domestic violence in their lives.
Q5. Why is stopping domestic violence so important?
A5. Because domestic violence is a form of gender-based violence, which is a violation
of human rights with many negative consequences. It needs to be stopped because the
more commonplace it becomes, the more acceptable gender-based violence becomes.
You can also devise questions that focus more on the theory of change, e.g. “why would
they change their behaviour if they notice the bus posters?”
SAMPLE COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES
The UNIFEM publication guide on strategic communications to end VAW, Making a
Difference: Strategic Communications to End Violence Against Women (2003) includes
presentations of effective campaign communication strategies which can serve as
models.
The EQUITY Tanzania communication strategy for its campaign promoting effective
Implementation of the Sexual Offenses Special Provisions Act is a good example of a
straightforward communications document. On one page, it summarizes the problem,
the planned intervention, the anticipated change, the indicators for success, and the
communication channels. The second page visualizes the stakeholder analysis and the
timeline; it lists the media that have agreed to support the strategy, and discusses
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Campaigns December 2011