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

Bear in mind:
� All communication tools should repeat the key points of the campaign
message, which brings together the problem, the solution and the action targets are
invited to take. Even a weekly e-newsletter for campaigners should reiterate the
campaign message as a central reference for all campaign communication.
� Poor quality tools may damage the campaign and waste resources. It is advisable to
plan ample time and resources for the development of high quality, effective
tools. In large-scale behaviour-change campaigns that do not build on a tested
model, it tends to take about one year to develop, pre-test, adjust and re-adjust
campaign materials until they are of the necessary quality to effectively reach their
targets.
Example: Bell Bajao! – Ring the Bell is a multi-media campaign launched in 2008 by
Breakthrough, a US and India-based human rights organization. It appealed to men and
boys in India to take action, whether by speaking out or ringing a door bell, to make sure
women in their communities could live free of domestic violence. To connect with
audiences across the nation, the campaign used a balanced mix of carefully selected
communications tools and techniques, including print, television, radio, touring video
vans and the internet to air its award-winning public service announcements, alongside
community mobilization activities such as street theatre, public forums and training for
young rights advocates. It also developed a range of educational materials such as a
campaigner’s toolkit, and a discussion guide on domestic violence in English and Hindi.
Read the Bell Bajao case study.
To learn more about the campaign, visit the Bell Bajao website.
WHICH COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUES AND TOOLS WILL WORK FOR THE
CAMPAIGN?
� Policy/institutional change (or advocacy) campaigning uses a range of tools,
designed to invite and convince decision-makers, i.e. elected or appointed
professionals in charge of public welfare, to change laws and policies that affect
large numbers of people, or to implement them more effectively. One set of tools
focuses on presenting facts and policy alternatives to primary targets, i.e. the
decision makers, through open letters, model policies and research reports, for
example. Another set is designed to mobilize public support and pressure for the
campaign goal, e.g. through demonstrations, press conferences and e-mail petitions.
� Behaviour-change campaigns rely on somewhat different techniques and tools, as
they invite people to change their personal, private lives by taking the action the
campaign proposes. Since human behaviour is influenced by a broad range of
factors, the pathways of change tend to be less linear and limited than in laws and
formal institutions. Different theories of change and varying characteristics of target
audiences inform strategy and tactics. Depending on these factors, one may borrow
techniques from commercial advertising and social marketing campaigns (e.g.
advertisements on TV and radio, or on billboards), from public health work (e.g. peer
education), from adult education and community development (e.g. forum theatre),
and other fields. This has been validated in an evaluation on VAW prevention with
men and boys (PROMUNDO/WHO, 2007).
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Campaigns December 2011