regina

Every year, we at The Pixel Project come across a wide variety of innovative and powerful campaigns tackling Violence Against Women (VAW), which are led by our fellow activists and non-profits from around the globe. 2023 is no exception. Some of the campaigns work to educate and empower underserved communities, while others provide a platform for survivors to speak out and hold abusers accountable.

We acknowledge that anti-VAW campaigners put themselves in perilous situations to advocate for the safety of others and we are immeasurably grateful for their bravery. From women marching the streets to women combating harassment online; each and every action, large or small, counts.

Today, in honour of all VAW activists, non-profits and grassroots groups who toil in thankless situations to bring about positive change to the lives of women and girls facing violence, we present 16 of the most striking campaigns/programmes we have come across in 2023.

What these campaigns have in common are:

  • The built-in “water-cooler” factor that gets the community buzzing about the campaign and, by extension, the issue of VAW.
  • A good sense of what works in and for the culture and community where the activist/non-profit/grassroots group is trying to galvanise change.

We hope that these campaigns and initiatives inspire you to take action and get on board the cause to end VAW.

It’s time to stop violence against women. Together.

Note: Information for all campaigns is sourced via online research and is based on one or more news sources and articles. The main articles/reports from which the details of these campaigns have been sourced can be directly accessed via the hyperlinked titles. Please do click through to learn more about these striking campaigns.

Introduction by Regina Yau. Written by Denishia Rajendran. Research and Additional Content by Regina Yau.

Inspired to support The Pixel Project’s anti-violence against women work? Make a donation to us today OR buy the audiobook edition of our 1st charity anthology, Giving The Devil His Due OR buy our 1st poetry collection, Under Her Eye. All donations and net proceeds from book sales go towards supporting our campaigns, programmes and initiatives.

Striking Anti-VAW Campaign #1: Sexist Songs Banned in Mexican City to Prevent Violence Against Women – Mexico

To combat the growing concern about violence against women, the Mexican city of Chihuahua now prohibits artists from singing songs containing lyrics that promote the “denigration, discrimination, marginalisation or exclusion” of women. Artists performing such songs in music events held publicly may be faced with a hefty fine which would be donated to campaigns that support domestic violence survivors and shelters. The city’s mayor, Marco Bonilla, commented that the ban seeks to “promote a community in which men and women live with equality and respect”.

 

Striking Anti-VAW Campaign #2: Domestic Violence Hotline Collaborates with Tech Company to Offer Comprehensive Contact for Victims – United States of America

With an increase in domestic violence during the Covid-19 pandemic, the National Domestic Violence Hotline (The Hotline) began collaborating with tech company Genesys to efficiently answer calls, texts and chat messages from survivors. The Hotline was able to engage with survivors via Web chats and text messages, which accounted for 43% and 9% of the interactions respectively in the last year. This is particularly crucial as survivors prefer to use text messages or web chats over calling The Hotline.

 

Striking Anti-VAW Campaign #3: Mobile App as a Means for Reporting Violence – Serbia

The Serbian organisation SOS Network of Vojvodina launched a mobile app in 2023 to enable survivors of domestic violence to contact the nearest support organisation and report violence. SOS started developing this app upon noticing discrepancies in reports of violence against women during the Covid-19 pandemic. This mobile app is disguised to prevent abusers from detecting its existence, thus giving survivors the comfort and safety to report violence through the app. The system also records data which enables women’s organisations to provide improved services and also assists in reviewing and comparing data more accurately.

 

Striking Anti-VAW Campaign #4: Photography Exhibition Empowers Survivors of Violence against Women – Israel

Photographer Abby Abergel has created the “Ten Commandments” photography project with social activist Niv Adi. It is a socio-artistic exhibition presenting photographs of survivors of violence against women, which showcases their journey from physical, psychological and economic abuse to freedom. “The Ten Commandments” has been exhibited in embassies, companies in Israel, galleries and hotel lobbies. Abegel, who experienced gender-based violence herself, stated that the series of photos is a “very moving process, these intimate photographs help to reconnect with oneself, they have enormous potential for restoring women’s confidence.”

 

Striking Anti-VAW Campaign #5: Public Transit Service Launches Bystander Education Campaign for Commuters – United States of America

San Francisco’s Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) has partnered with local non-profits in launching an anti-sexual harassment campaign known as “Not One More Girl”. The campaign involves the distribution of information cards to anyone riding BART and can be used by bystanders to intervene when they notice someone being sexually harassed. In galvanising the community to take action and to help public transit riders feel safe, the cards contain comic-style illustrations on how bystanders can intervene. These cards are also designed for people experiencing harassment, who can then pass the cards to bystanders with the aim of asking them for help. While most transit agencies work with law enforcement to curb harassment, Alicia Trost, communications director of BART, commented: “We believe our campaign serves as a model for other agencies to follow.”

 

Striking Anti-VAW Campaign #6: Campaign Tackles Violence Against Women in Carnivals – Bolivia

Slogans such as “Without masks, without violence” and “Depatriarchalising our parties” were part of an initiative introduced by the UN, the Bolivian government, the National Confederation of Religious Folk Associations of Bolivia and several other agencies to combat violence against women in Bolivia’s carnivals. The campaign includes training for associations of dancers and musicians that will participate in carnival parades in various Bolivian cities. Additionally, audiovisual and printed material containing information about violence against women and where to get help was disseminated during parades, in the media and in social networks.

 

Striking Anti-VAW Campaign #7: : Social Media Influencers Work with UN Women to End VAW in Viet Nam – Viet Nam

As many as 2 in 3 women experience domestic abuse in Viet Nam. In response to this, UN Women and approximately 80 social influencers collaborated to use social media to raise awareness about violence against women.  The social influencers received training from UN Women on gender-based violence. Under a campaign named #TheOrangeTeam, the social media influencers have attracted a large following of 4 million followers to whom they speak about gender-based violence. One of the influencers, Quang Dang, stated: “Each of us has a role to play. Let’s speak up and speak out. Stand in solidarity with survivors of violence.”

 

Striking Anti-VAW Campaign #8: Needlework as a Call to Action in Fighting against Violence Against Women – South Africa

With increased gender-based violence during and following the Covid-19 pandemic, psychologist Anna Walker started a project that uses embroidery as a visual art to express gender violence encountered by women. Dr Walker collaborated with the Intuthuko women’s collective, a group of 16 Black women based in a township in Ekurhuleni in the Gauteng province. The project lets the visuals do the talking but instead of focusing on personal experiences, the participants’ work was aimed at presenting an overview of the many ways in which violence against women shows itself in women’s lived experiences. The project created awareness through discussions and community dialogues and acted as an outlet for survivors to express their pain, loss and trauma, but also tell stories of hope, resilience and resistance. It empowered the participating women to tell their stories through their needlework and encouraged viewers to witness their art as a call for action.

 

Striking Anti-VAW Campaign #9: Village Head and All-Women Village Council Fights Female Foeticide – India

When his daughter was born, Sunil Jaglan, the head of Bibipur village in Haryana, noticed the pervasive impact of foeticide in his village and decided to take action. This resulted in a comprehensive and effective programme of actions including: forming an all-women village council (in defiance of the tradition of all-male councils) to discuss and take action about issues pertaining to domestic violence, gender inequality, sexual and reproductive health and mental health, as well as training a team of volunteers to monitor pregnancies in the village and prevent the abortion of female foetuses.

 

Striking Anti-VAW Campaign #10: Ireland’s “Serious Consequences” Advertising Campaign Raises Awareness About the Illegality of Sharing Intimate Images – Ireland

Coco’s Law was introduced in 2021, after a campaign by the family of Nicole ‘Coco’ Fox who took her own life after being relentlessly bullied online and abused physically for three years. Following its enactment, the government of Ireland launched The “Serious Consequences” campaign, which focuses on a perpetrator and a victim and will run on TV and social media as well as in cinemas and on local and national radio. It is part of a zero-tolerance strategy towards domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.

 

Striking Anti-VAW Campaign #11: Manchester uses Podcasts to Educate Men About Stopping Violence Against Women – United Kingdom 

Following the brutal violence against Sarah Everard by a police officer, Mayor Andy Burnham launched the #IsThisOK? campaign. It kicked off with a video of a woman being sexually harassed, which motivated half the men who saw it to think and act differently. As part of the campaign’s goal to facilitate open discussions and educate the community, Mancunian writer and journalist Noz Choudry recently hosted a podcast featuring three episodes. In these, Choudry discusses behaviours towards women with men from different backgrounds. It was reported that the podcast has contributed to educating men on harassment experienced by women and girls. One of the guests on the podcast commented: “if you learn from it and you’re actually humble and accept ‘I need to learn and be part of the change’, then we can actually start to see a change.”

 

Striking Anti-VAW Campaign #12: Former NHL Player Raises Awareness about Concussions Caused by Domestic Violence – Canada

In 2023,  the YWCA Metro Vancouver called upon former National Hockey League (NHL) player Trevor Lindon to join an awareness campaign that sheds light on the long-lasting injuries suffered by survivors of domestic violence. This campaign was launched in light of a growing number of reports and research about how domestic violence victims and survivors suffer from concussions due to severe physical abuse. However, compared to concussions suffered by professional athletes such as NHL players, survivors of domestic violence are unable to receive timely and immediate treatment. This can have long-lasting impact and affect their day-to-day functioning. YWCA Metro Vancouver estimated that for every NHL concussion, thousands of women in Canada suffer the same injury because of intimate partner violence.

 

Striking Anti-VAW Campaign #13: Korean National Police Agency (KNPA)’s “Knock Knock” Campaign to Help Domestic Violence Victims – South Korea

 The “Knock Knock” campaign (introduced by the KNPA and Cheil Worldwide), seeks to raise awareness for survivors of domestic violence who are unable to communicate verbally. In particular, the campaign demonstrates how survivors who are unable to speak can contact the KNPA to report violence and seek assistance. The survivor can contact the police by dialling 112. Upon being connected to an operator, they can press any number twice and will then be sent a link which, when clicked, will give the police access to the caller’s location. The police can also gain access to the caller’s phone camera to evaluate the situation.

 

Striking Anti-VAW Campaign #14: Georgia Prosecution Office Runs Art Contest to Educate Community about Violence Against Women – Georgia

In October 2023, the Georgian Prosecution Office hosted an art competition for children and teenagers as part of their campaign against femicide in the country. Two 16-year-olds and a 9-year-old were awarded prizes for their work. The awards event enabled Prosecutor General Irakli Shotadze to address a captive audience  about the urgency of stopping violence against women. The campaign, supported by both UN Women and the United States; was an initiative aimed at bringing local residents and students together to discuss measures that can be put in place to fight gender-based violence, femicide and domestic violence.

Striking Anti-VAW Campaign #15: Artist collaborates with Ikea to Create Mural to Raise Awareness about Domestic Violence Against Women and Children – Poland

Czech-Canadian artist David Strauzzwas was approached by Ikea to create a mural to support the cause of fighting domestic violence in Prague. The mural represented a woman’s face which, upon closer inspection, presents signs of violence. Messages of support were incorporated into this 20-metre high mural. The mural was part of Ikea’s project in supporting a safe home for all, following an increased number of domestic cases during the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

Striking Anti-VAW Campaign #16: Wedding Emcees Engaged to Eradicate Violence – Nigeria  

Wedding emcees, more commonly known as ‘Alaga Iduro/Ijoko’ in Nigeria, play an integral role in traditional Nigerian wedding ceremonies. In light of this, the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) has been enlisting wedding emcees to help prevent violence against women. This came about due to the increased rate of domestic violence in Lagos. This DVSA initiative, known as the Idile Alayo Curriculum, mobilises wedding emcees to “promote awareness, prevention, and intervention against domestic violence, ensuring that every couple embarks on their marital journey on the strong foundation of respect, love, and safety”.

 

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