Previous Women's Aid national public awareness campaigns
Women's Aid has been campaiging for over 35 years to end violence against women and to create greater understanding of domestic violence.
In addition to our annual 16 Days of Action Campaigns, we continue to carry out national public awareness raising campaigns targeted at women affected by domestic violence as well as at the wider society. Here are some highlights from our previous campaigns:
2004 Some Men Break More Than Their Girlfriends' Hearts Campaign
Some Men Break More than their Girlfriends' Hearts, Women's Aid Awareness Poster, 2004Women's Aid was joined by Irish Rugby International team member Shane Horgan to launch its 2004 Awareness campaign on Friday 6th February. The hard hitting campaign coincided with Valentines Day, raising awareness of domestic violence at a time traditionally associated with love and romance.
The campaign consisted of outdoor and indoor advertising featuring the image of an x-ray of a woman's cracked skull, accompanied by the slogan: "Some Men Break More Than Their Girlfriends' Hearts" and the tag-line "Domestic Violence Affects 1 in 5 Irish Women." The posters featured on national outdoor bus-stops; shopping centres, restaurants and pubs, Dublin bus and Dart services.
The campaign was targeted at raising awareness of the issue of domestic violence generally, challenging the secrecy that surrounds it and encouraging victims to seek support. The image of the x-ray of the skull highlighted physical domestic violence and the seriousness of the injuries that can be sustained, as well as the hidden injuries of mental and emotional abuse which women describe as being bruises inside their heads. The image of the x-ray also highlighted society's unwillingness to 'see' domestic violence.
2001 Teenage Tolerance: The Hidden Lives of Young Irish People
A poster campaign entitled "Tell Someone" was launched by Women's Aid as part of our response to the findings of "Teenage Tolerance".
The poster is aimed at encouraging young people to contact Women's Aid or the Rape Crisis Helplines, if they, or someone they know is experiencing violence or abuse. The poster was developed as an initial response to the "Teenage Tolerance" findings, which showed that young people are not informing adults of their experiences, but are instead supporting each other.
Sinead C'Carroll and Edele Lynch of B*witched at the launch of the "Tell Someone" poster campaign and the Teenage Tolerance research at a conference in Dublin castle, February 14th 2001.
The reasons for this trend may to some extent lie in the nature of adolescence, however the research highlighted that there are reasons for this which can and must be addressed, such as the confusion amongst young people about what is and what is not violence, the high tolerance levels of young people toward violence and abuse, as well as young people's perception that existing services and helplines are either targeted at adults or children and are not appropriate to them.
The poster was distributed to schools nationwide. Women's Aid saw this campaign as a first step in a series of recommendations aimed initially at raising awareness amongst young people of the confidential help and support which they can access, and culminating in the meaningful addressing of young people's broader education and support needs.
Teenage Tolerance explored young people's understanding and experiences of personal safety and violence. It documented and addressed the lack of information, support and appropriate services available to young people who were witnessing or experiencing violence.
1997 Violence At Home: Support At Work with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions
Violence at Home - Support at Work Campaign, Women's Aid and ICTU, 1997.On March 8th, 1997, (International Women's Day), Women's Aid in conjunction with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, launched a campaign to highlight the role of the trade union movement in combating violence against women in the workplace.
1995 Zero Tolerance Campaign: Flowers, Chocolate and Multiple Bruising
Poster Campaign
Flowers, Chocolates and Multiple Brusing, Zero Tolerance Campaign 1995The high impact "Flowers, Chocolate and Multiple Bruising" campaign was shown on bus shelters around the Republic of Ireland. The aim of the campaign was to raise awareness of domestic violence in Ireland, to dispel myths surrounding the issue and to help change attitudes towards such violence. The poster features an attractive man at a social setting who could represent any class. The image demonstrates that violence against women is the most democratic of all crimes, it crosses all religious, class and race barriers.
Postcard Campaign
The second part of the campaign was a national petition where people throughout Ireland were asked to pledge their support to make violence against women unacceptable. Postcards have been distributed to politicians, celebrities, local groups and schools asking for support. The postcard carried the slogan: "Blame the Woman, Blame the Weather, Blame the Drink - Violence against Women, there is no excuse." Women's Aid called for groups and individuals to support the campaign by collecting as many signatures as possible in their area. The signatures were presented to the Dáil in May 1995.