Title: Chapter 10: Educating and Mobilizing the Public About Violence
Against Women
Series: Toolkit To End Violence Against Women     
Author: Violence Against Women Office
Published: October 2001
Subject: Educating and Mobilizing the Public About Violence Against
Women
13 pages
28,672 bytes

---------------------------

Chapter 10: Educating and Mobilizing the Public About Violence Against
Women

What Communities Can Do To Make A Difference

o Engage the media, community members, and educators. Focus on
building community awareness of available services so that victims know
where to turn to for help. At the same time, communicate prevention
messages that help create social sanctions against violent and abusive
behavior.

o Ensure that services are available to those who seek help. Equip service
providers to handle the increase in requests for help generated by
community education campaigns. Create new programs in communities
that lack needed services.

o Form community partnerships. Enlist sexual assault, dating and
domestic violence, and stalking advocates; educators; faith leaders; and
other community leaders to work together to raise awareness about all
forms of violence against women.

o Create campaigns with a grassroots-organizing component. Work to
develop the leadership skills of community members so that leaders of
community groups can become powerful messengers. 

o Target education and awareness campaigns to young people and men.
Develop public education campaigns that educate young adults about
relationship violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Develop campaigns that
target men, and urge men to lead efforts to end violence against women.

o Complement community service campaigns with aggressive free media
campaigns. Use the free media (newspapers, wire services, television,
radio, magazines, and the Internet and other nontraditional media outlets)
to reach broader audiences.

o Create partnerships with the media so that antiviolence campaigns
continue through changes in media ownership and leadership. Work with
the media to dispel myths about sexual assault, dating and domestic
violence, and stalking.

o Seek corporate support for media campaigns. Encourage corporations to
become partners in addressing sexual assault and domestic violence by
developing workplace policies that address these issues.

o Target education and awareness campaigns to populations that might not
be reached via a general outreach. Move beyond traditional media outlets
such as newspapers, television, radio, and the Internet to reach these
audiences.

o Evaluate public education efforts rigorously. Conduct research to
determine the impact and effectiveness of public service and public
education campaigns, then refine messages and campaigns to increase
their impact.

--------------------------------

Educating and Mobilizing the Public About Violence Against Women 

Community education campaigns can be powerful tools in building
awareness and changing public attitudes about violence against women.
Recent campaigns have encouraged drivers to wear seatbelts and avoid
driving while intoxicated and have successfully promoted the need for
mammograms, AIDS education and prevention, and colorectal cancer
screening. 

Women who have been victims of violent crimes can benefit tremendously
when television stations and networks, radio stations, newspapers,
magazines, Web sites, and other media promote the phone numbers of
local, state, and national sexual assault and domestic violence hotlines.
After public service announcements appear, directors of these hotlines
regularly report increases in the number of telephone calls. 

Today, local, state, and national campaigns inform victims of sexual
assault, dating and domestic violence, and stalking about available
services, communicate that violence against women is wrong, and promote
behavioral change among the general public and in specific communities.
These public education campaigns have the power to help the general
public support family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers who are
victimized and to create a more educated population from which to choose
jurors when crimes are prosecuted. 

The media can do much more to change public attitudes about violence
against women. Members of the media can donate more time and space to
campaigns that educate and mobilize the public about violence against
women. For example, the media can carry more public service
announcements about services available to victims. 

Corporations can help leverage coverage by asking the media outlets in
and on which they advertise to donate time or space to select public
service announcements. Some corporations have either convinced public
service directors to run spots on violence against women or have
developed and placed their own spots. 

Engaging the Free Media To Build Awareness 

The news media--newspapers, wire services, television, radio, magazines,
newsletters, and the Internet--are the primary sources of information for
the vast majority of adults. If news stories carry messages that are neutral
about or imply acceptance of physical and sexual violence and stalking or
messages that blame the victim, community members may be disinclined
to take action against such abuse. Stories that explore the causes of
violence against women can give the public insight and direction and
motivate people to take constructive action to help victims, challenge
perpetrators, and do what they can to stop every type of abuse. 

Victim advocates can plan innovative activities to generate news coverage
that delivers positive messages. For example, community leaders in a
small midland city began organizing awareness activities in the early
1990s and generated news coverage of their public hearings on domestic
violence. A South Asian community in a large American city has
generated stories for South Asian television stations and newspapers and
in mainstream newspapers about marches against domestic violence in
their neighborhood, speeches by survivors, and protests at a batterer's
home. The sexual assault coalition of one midwestern state generated
newspaper stories because of its unique public awareness campaign
targeting boys between ages 14 and 16. Local radio and television stations
also reacted positively to the award-winning campaign and offered hours
of free airtime for public service announcements. These are but a few
examples of successful strategies used by advocates to increase attention
to violence against women. 

Advocates also can engage the media directly to generate coverage that
educates Americans about sexual assault, dating and domestic violence,
and stalking; encourages people to take action to prevent violence against
women; and rallies support for local service providers. To do this,
advocates should establish relationships with journalists, propose news
stories, provide documented background information, and recommend
qualified experts and spokespersons for interviews. Educating the media
about the complex issues surrounding sexual assault, dating and domestic
violence, and stalking will result in better news stories because educated
journalists will cover the issues more comprehensively and effectively.
Advocates should keep in mind that media outlets have frequent personnel
changes; therefore, media education has to be an ongoing process. 

Partnering with the free media can be important when planning for public
service activities. An ongoing relationship with a local radio station, for
example, can make it easier to place public service announcements, as
well-known DJs can make effective spokespeople for awareness
campaigns. 

Reaching Out to Diverse Audiences 

Media campaigns, messages advocating prevention, and spokespeople
may be ineffective in reaching communities with different languages,
cultures, and interests. Advocates should develop public awareness
campaigns that target populations that might not be reached via a general
outreach. The most effective culturally specific campaigns use messengers
who come from that community and tailor language, concepts, images,
and messages to which the target audience can relate. Campaigns should
use a range of delivery mediums such as foreign language radio stations
and other nontraditional media outlets to reach the widest audience. 

In several instances, advocates have worked with diverse communities to
reach broader audiences. For example, a large urban Arab community in
the United States developed culturally specific materials on domestic
violence in response to the "honor killing" of a young woman. Several
locally based programs have developed successful campaigns that reach
out to men. Finally, a state sexual assault coalition recently completed
evaluating its award-winning public awareness campaign, which included
separate messages for boys and girls. The evaluation showed that the
messages specifically developed to reach boys--who traditionally have not
been targeted in awareness campaigns about sexual assault--were
especially successful at changing social norms among young men. 

Targeting Teens 

Ideas and opinions about violence against girls and women are formed at a
young age. Communities can focus some outreach efforts on young girls
and boys to influence the development of attitudes and behaviors that may
last a lifetime. Parents should be involved in the development of any
campaigns directed at children under the age of 18. 

Many good examples of successful campaigns targeting teens exist. A
state sexual assault coalition has reached out effectively to students ages
11-15 via its comprehensive annual awareness campaign (funded by a
federal Violence Against Women Act grant). The campaign includes
posters, partnership with a local radio station, a CD with songs by local
artists, and a magazine about sexual assault that is targeted to girls. The
coalition also has developed a curriculum on statutory rape for schools and
arranged for prevention educators to visit local schools. 

Other programs also have reached out to diverse teen audiences. One
program meets with Native American girls ages 13-15 at local schools to
teach the girls about teen dating violence. Another program in an
African-American community runs a "Sister to Sister" project to help
promote self-esteem and prevent violence against young women. The
program also runs a "Brother to Brother" campaign and has developed a
play about violence entitled "Enough Is Enough." 

Advocates also can partner with programs in the community that already
target teens. Many organizations already work with teens on issues such as
AIDS and HIV prevention, substance abuse prevention, violence
prevention, conflict resolution, and sexuality education. Where effective
programs exist, advocates should partner with these organizations to add
information about sexual assault, dating and domestic violence, and
stalking. 

School-based projects serve to train the next generation of college leaders
on the issues of sexual assault, dating and domestic violence, and stalking.
Many types of creative peer counseling groups and some of the most
effective public education campaigns, including Take Back the Night
marches, take place on college campuses. These programs will be even
more effective when the incoming college students who lead these
programs have already been taught about issues related to violence against
women. 

Reacting to Negative Media Messages 

Advocates for battered women and victims of sexual assault and stalking
are increasingly accused of exaggerating the prevalence of violence and of
being unfair to men. The news media often report on challenges to studies
that demonstrate the pervasiveness of violence against women. Advocates
can capitalize on the attention media give such challenges by countering
with accurate information about violence against women. They can
effectively respond to challenges by remaining vigilant, monitoring the
media, accurately citing data in publications, developing strong proactive
and reactive messages, coordinating with allies, and engaging the media. 

Outlined below are specific actions that community allies and advocates
for victims of sexual assault, dating and domestic violence, and stalking
can take to educate and mobilize the public. 

Conduct Aggressive Community Education Campaigns 

1. Focus community education on building awareness of available services
so that victims of sexual assault, dating and domestic violence, and
stalking know where to turn for help. 

o Coordinate with service providers where the campaign will be targeted
to develop messages and visual images that are both powerful and
sensitive to that community. 

o Carefully select the appropriate spokespeople to be sure the target
audiences can relate to their messages. 

o Involve survivors and a diverse representation of community members
in campaign development. 

2. Develop campaigns that challenge victim blaming, and engage men in
holding other men accountable for violence. 

o Work with schools, community members, and survivors to develop a
campaign that changes the belief that victims of violence are to blame for
their victimization. 

o Develop simple actions that people can take to send the message that
violence against women is wrong. 

o Develop messages targeted to perpetrators of violence against women
and girls that encourage accountability and behavior change. 

o Focus on the role of bystanders--including strategies men can use to
prevent violence against women--to address or challenge perpetrator
behavior, identify and assist victims, and make appropriate referrals. 

o Integrate messages that communicate how racism, sexism, and
homophobia can nurture and support sexual assault and domestic violence. 

o Test campaign messages with the target audience before finalizing the
messages. 

3. Seek support from corporations, and enlist media outlets as partners in
the campaign. 

o Ask for support from local corporations while developing the campaign,
and ask them to use their leverage as advertisers to win media support for
the campaign. 

o Ask supportive corporations to use their own communication tools, such
as Web sites, store banners, office bulletin boards, and paycheck stuffers,
to reinforce campaign messages. 

o Test your announcements with local newspapers and television and radio
stations to be sure that the content and quality are appropriate to be run or
aired. 

o Enlist a media outlet to become a partner in the campaign and to commit
to running its announcements regularly over a 6-month or 1-year period. 

4. Secure funding to rigorously evaluate public education efforts. 

o Partner with a local college, university, or public opinion research firm
to conduct research to determine the impact and effectiveness of public
service and public education campaigns. 

o Refine messages and campaigns as needed to increase their impact and
expand their reach. 

Engage the Free Media in Building Awareness 

5. Use the free media to reach broader audiences. 

o Develop creative and newsworthy events with visual appeal to launch
and promote the campaign. 

o Develop a set of messages that spokespeople will use when discussing
the issue and campaign. 

o Establish a group of spokespeople who are as diverse as the targeted
community, have various types of experience and expertise, and will make
themselves available for interviews. 

o Book spokespeople on radio and television news and public affairs
programs. 

o Write opinion columns for local newspapers about the issues behind the
campaign. 

o Seek editorial and columnist support for the issue and for the campaign. 

o Hold a news conference to announce the campaign. 

o Encourage allies of the effort to end violence against women to use their
Web sites to promote campaign messages and information. 

o Provide Internet resources to organizations and agencies to further their
efforts to help victims of sexual assault, dating and domestic violence, and
stalking. 

o Identify stories about the long-term effects of violence against women
and how it affects public health and every type of crime to gain media
exposure. 

6. Teach journalists about the complex issues that surround sexual assault,
dating and domestic violence, and stalking. 

o Provide background materials to local journalists who cover news,
women's issues, crime and violence, health, education, and social issues. 

o Send information about available services and prevention campaigns to
local journalists on a regular basis. 

o Have members of the media hold forums to teach fellow members how
to report on cases that involve sexual assault, dating and domestic
violence, and stalking. 

Reach Out to Diverse Audiences 

7. Create public awareness and education campaigns that appeal to young
people. 

o Hold focus group meetings to determine teen attitudes and behaviors,
and use this information to develop materials that teenagers can relate to. 

o Enlist the support of media outlets that target teen audiences when
launching free media campaigns. 

o Work with school administrators, teachers, parents, and students to
conduct public education campaigns at schools. Include education about
sexual harassment. 

o Partner with school- or community-based organizations that already
work successfully with youth on issues such as AIDS and HIV prevention,
substance abuse prevention, conflict resolution, and other issues. 

o Develop age-appropriate and culturally sensitive curriculums on sexual
assault, dating and domestic violence, and stalking. Include prevention
messages, conflict resolution and communication skills building, and
information about who to ask for help and how to ask. Test curriculums
and the breadth of their use and evaluate them for effectiveness, as
resources allow. Include parents in the development of curriculums. 

o Promote positive communication and respect in relationships. Conduct
separate campaigns for boys and girls, whenever possible. 

o Work with school administrators to establish peer support groups and
other opportunities for teens to discuss dating and domestic violence. 

o Work with teens and parents to develop messages and materials.
Develop programs that teach teens to work with their school newspaper
and local television and radio stations to include news stories on sexual
assault, dating and domestic violence, and stalking. 

o Meet with school administrators and school board members to educate
them about the long-term societal impact of sexual assault, the state's
sexual assault laws, and definitions of sexual assault. 

o Engage celebrities and luminaries (including teenage victims of sexual
assault, dating or domestic violence, or stalking) who appeal to teenagers
to talk to students about violence against women and girls and feature
these spokespeople in public service announcements. 

8. Develop specific education and awareness campaigns for populations
that might not be reached via general outreach. 

o Develop culturally appropriate materials for special populations, and
ensure that these materials reach everyone who might need them. 

o Target neighborhood minority and alternative newspapers, diverse radio
and television stations or programs, and other nontraditional media outlets
in any media campaign. 

o Create separate campaigns for sexual assault alone, especially for
community members who have mental and physical disabilities or are
elderly. 

o Engage celebrities and luminaries from the above-mentioned
communities to be spokespeople for the campaign. 

9. Integrate messages about violence against women into other health
education campaigns. 

o Look for opportunities to include information about sexual assault in
other health education campaigns that target behaviors or symptoms often
associated with the aftereffects of sexual assault, including but not limited
to teen pregnancy; unsafe sex; sexually transmitted diseases, including
HIV and AIDS; alcohol and other drug use; eating disorders;
posttraumatic stress disorder; and dissociative disorder. 

o Look for opportunities to include information about sexual assault and
domestic violence in other health education campaigns that target behavior
often associated with the aftereffects of abuse, including but not limited to
abuse during pregnancy; chronic pain; sexually transmitted diseases,
including HIV and AIDS; and alcohol and other drug use. 

o Develop awareness campaigns that direct victims of stalking to the
police and mental health services. 

React to Negative Media Messages 

10. Monitor the media for false or misleading information related to
causes or excuses for sexual assault and domestic violence. 

o Clip local and regional newspapers. 

o Monitor broadcast media and Web sites. 

11. Publish only current statistics and studies. 

o Include sources for statistics in campaign materials. 

o Become familiar with the overall methodology of the research. 

12. Develop a plan to respond quickly to false or misleading information. 

o Write general talking points about remedies to sexual assault, dating and
domestic violence, and stalking. 

o Identify spokespeople with diverse backgrounds to respond to challenges
to studies that demonstrate the pervasiveness of violence against women. 

o Identify spokespeople who are willing to share their personal
experiences with violence in response to false or misleading information. 

o Develop an e-mail, telephone, or fax network to communicate with
spokespeople about opportunities to respond to false or misleading
information. 

13. Write letters to the editor and opinion columns in response to false or
misleading information about sexual assault, dating and domestic
violence, and stalking. 

o Ask spokespeople to sign letters to the editor and opinion columns. 

o Identify spokespeople who are willing to appear on talk shows or debate
opponents. 

For more media recommendations, see Toolkit chapter "Engaging the
Media, Advertising, and Entertainment Industries." 

Resources 

The Advertising Council 
261 Madison Avenue, 11th Floor 
New York, NY 10016 
Phone: 212-922-1500 
Fax: 212-922-1676 
Web site: www.adcouncil.org 

Each year the Advertising Council coordinates approximately 40 public
education and advocacy campaigns that focus on preventive health,
education, community well-being, environmental preservation,
strengthening families, and enriching children's lives. Advertising Council
slogans ("Take a Bite Out of Crime," "Friends Don't Let Friends Drive
Drunk") and characters (Smokey the Bear, McGruff the Crime Dog) raise
awareness, promote individual action, and save lives. 

Benton Foundation 
950 18th Street NW. 
Washington, DC 20006 
Phone: 202-638-5770 
Fax: 202-638-5771 
Web site: www.benton.org 


Supporting the public interest use of communications media, the Benton
Foundation provides leadership in the emerging communications
environment and promotes the value of communications for solving social
problems. 

Family Violence Prevention Fund 
383 Rhode Island Street, Suite 304 
San Francisco, CA 94103-5133 
Phone: 415-252-8900 
Fax: 415-252-8991 
Web site: www.fvpf.org 

The Family Violence Prevention Fund works to end domestic violence and
help women and children whose lives are affected by abuse. The Web site
offers free online catalogs, articles and information on abuse and violence,
press releases and story archives, information on public policy efforts, and
other resource materials. 

National Criminal Justice Reference Service 
P.O. Box 6000 
Rockville, MD 20849-6000 
Phone: 301-519-5500 or 1-800-851-3420 
Fax: 301-519-5212 
Web site: www.ncjrs.org 

The National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) is a federally
sponsored information clearinghouse for people around the country and
the world involved with research, policy, and practice related to criminal
and juvenile justice and drug control. NCJRS disseminates publications,
grant information, and other resources for the Bureau of Justice
Assistance, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Office for Victims of Crime,
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, National Institute
of Justice, and other partner agencies. Publications can be accessed from
the Web site or copies can be requested by phone, fax, or e-mail. 

National Resource Center on Domestic Violence 
Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence 
6400 Flank Drive, Suite 1300 
Harrisburg, PA 17112 
Phone: 1-800-537-2238 
TTY: 1-800-533-2508 
Fax: 717-545-9456 
Web site: www.pcadv.org 

The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRC) is a valuable
source for information, training, and technical assistance regarding
domestic violence issues. NRC is also a clearinghouse for domestic
violence resources and statistics that may be used to enhance policies and
publications. 

National Sexual Violence Resource Center 
123 North Enola Drive 
Enola, PA 17025 
Phone: 1-877-739-3895 
TTY: 717-909-0715 
Fax: 717-909-0714 
Web site: www.nsvrc.org 

The National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) is a
clearinghouse for resources and research about all forms of sexual
violence. NSVRC works with its partner agency, the University of
Pennsylvania, to provide new policies for establishing sexual violence
interventions and prevention programs. 

Stalking Resource Center 
National Center for Victims of Crime 
2000 M Street NW., Suite 480 
Washington, DC 20036 
Phone: 202-467-8700 
Fax: 202-467-8701 
Web site: www.ncvc.org 

The National Center for Victims of Crime's (NCVC's) mission is to help
victims of crime and their families rebuild their lives. The Stalking
Resource Center provides resources, training, and technical assistance to
criminal justice professionals and victim service providers to support
locally coordinated, multidisciplinary antistalking approaches and
responses.