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

communication channels to focus on students’ roles as bystanders and how they could
prevent or intervene in situations of sexual and intimate partner violence and stalking on
campus. The channels used were considered the best means of catching the attention
of students and generating campus-wide awareness in a short period of time. The Know
Your Power campaign is the social marketing component of the university’s nationally
known ‘Bringing in the Bystander’ violence prevention programme.
Visit the campaign website.
Read the campaign evaluation.
THEMES: As violence against women and girls is present in all societies and takes
different forms in different contexts, the number of possible campaign themes is
immense. Many behaviour change campaigns have focused on domestic violence,
warning perpetrators about its consequences and encouraging survivors to seek
specialized support. Campaigns for institutional change have held governments to
account on their obligations to translate relevant international Treaties into national
legislation, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
Against Women (CEDAW), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the
Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment. There
are also campaigns that tackle international and cross-border issues, such as trafficking
of women and children, sexual violence as a tactic of warfare, and the role of
international law and justice in protecting women’s and girls’ rights. Still others focus on
issues rooted in local customs and traditions, such as child or forced marriage or
harmful initiation rites. Where mass media play a strong role in shaping social norms,
campaigns that tackle unhealthy gender stereotypes or degrading, sexist depictions of
women in the media can contribute to preventing VAW.
The choice of the campaign theme depends on the local context, and the campaigners’
skills, resources and ability to mobilize support. A wide range of examples and case
studies are included throughout this module.
Examples: Behaviour change campaign themes
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Campaigns December 2011