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

than men. Violence against women is unacceptable”) with at least ten more persons,
thus triggering a chain reaction of attitude change across society (Raab, 2009).
3.8 CAMPAIGN APPROACHES
CAMPAIGNS FOR BEHAVIOUR CHANGE
Legal and to a certain extent policy/institutional change, on their own, have proven
insufficient to reduce violence against women and girls (VAW). Many forms of VAW
continue to be widely perceived as private, relatively unimportant matters, or a normal
part of life. Campaigns for behaviour change aim to prompt “ordinary people”, as well as
those in positions of authority, to change their knowledge, attitudes and practice related
to VAW. Behaviour change can contribute to reducing the prevalence of VAW (primary
prevention), and to ensuring that VAW survivors protect themselves from further harm
(secondary prevention).
Both individual and societal levels need to be addressed to encourage such change
(VicHealth, 2005. Review of Communication Components of Social Marketing...). Since
the psychological and social processes that prompt behaviour change depend on many
factors, different well-established theories emphasize different aspects that are likely to
trigger change. One can appeal to people’s minds (cognitive theories) so as to
influence their attitude about a certain behaviour (theory of reasoned action),
enhance their motivation and opportunities to successfully test a different kind of
behaviour (social cognitive theory), or show the risks associated with VAW and
emphasize the benefits of ending it (health belief model). One can guide the members
of your target audience through a learning (or un-learning) process (stage/step
theories), and use the influence of others (social influence, social comparison and
convergence theories) to encourage behaviour change. Appealing to people’s
emotions (emotional response theories) is also considered a key element in
prompting behaviour change. Finally, communication theory traces processes by
which a new idea or practice is communicated in society (e.g. diffusion of innovations
theory), and how certain aspects of communication influence behavioural outcomes
(e.g. input/output persuasion model) (Coffman, 2002. Public Communication
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Campaigns December 2011