APPROACH AND METHODOLOGY
The core belief behind the SHE campaign is that media -- when properly harnessed -- has the power to create a transformational shift in the way individuals think about an issue, which can lead to both behavioral and policy changes. For example, the Mothers Against Drunk Driving campaign played a key role in changing the nation's attitude about drunk driving and passing legislation, resulting in a large drop-off in drunk driving deaths (meeting its initial goal of a 20% reduction in alcohol-related deaths in 1997, three years ahead of its target). As a true global epidemic, violence against women is a problem of such magnitude that it can be difficult for individuals to grasp and to feel like they can contribute to the solution. The approach of SHE is to turn a global epidemic into a personal mission - empowering individuals to feel accountable and make the immediate world around them a safer place for women and girls. The campaign will utilize all forms of media - television, print, and digital - and engage the latest best-practices in social media to raise awareness and provide tools for education and mobilization. The primary hub for the campaign will be its website, www.she.org. Here, individuals take the first step of engagement: they make a recorded video pledge to be a Safe Haven, meaning they vow to make their personal space a violence-free haven for women and learn how to provide assistance to anyone who comes to them for help. The website also will provide a link to a SHE mobile app, which will provide situational tools (e.g., what to do if you hear offensive comments in the office) and a live interactive map of others who have taken the SHE pledge near you, and will be the main tool to communicate educational information and updates. Corporate partnerships will be established to provide wide, global reach and can vary from businesses pledging to be a Safe Haven (a place for victims to come to receive referrals for help and services), to global brands raising awareness for SHE through their marketing campaigns, to corporations becoming SHE companies that provide education and training for their employees.
IMPLEMENTATION, TIMELINE, AND DELIVERABLES
The Paley Center is currently engaged in fundraising for the campaign, with a goal to begin implementing the launch in April 2012. The first phase consists of launching the she.org pledge site, and releasing the SHE app. This phase will last 10-12 weeks. Phase 2 is the media campaign, which consists of televisions spots, online banner ads, print advertisements, and outdoor media, and will last 10-12 weeks. Phase 3 consists of developing and supporting strategic corporate partnerships, with research and educational materials, and lasts 4 to 6 weeks. Of course, the campaign will be ongoing, but these three phases represent the launch of its core elements.
Violence against women and girls is a global epidemic. According to the latest country data available, up to 70 percent of women experience physical or sexual abuse from men in their lifetime, the majority of which is perpetrated by an intimate partner or someone they know. [World Health Organization Multi-Country Study on Women's Health and Domestic Violence Against Women. Garcia-Moreno, Claudia. Et al. 2005.] Despite its widespread nature, there is a lack of awareness among the public and policymakers about the extent of the problem, and women continue to be victimized. The same study found that abused women mainly seek help from informal sources - friends, relatives, colleagues - rather than from formal services because of a lack of knowledge of help available, or shame and fear of stigmatization. However, interventions by informal sources were not always positive, due to a lack of knowledge by the friend or relative of how to help, and in fact, especially in the case of family members, there are many instances of condoning the violence or placing the stability of the family over the welfare of the victim. In addition, violence against women has far-reaching consequences for the global advancement of women and girls. According to UN studies, women who experience violence suffer a range of health problems, have a diminished ability to participate in public life, and are more likely to be impoverished and have fewer educational and economic opportunities available to them.
Already developed with pro-bono support from leading advertising firm Leo Burnett, the SHE campaign aims to create a fundamental shift in awareness and attitudes about violence against women and girls. Through a multi-phase, multi-platform media campaign, SHE will advance understanding of 1) the prevalence of violence against women worldwide; 2) the connection between violence against women and the barriers to women's empowerment; and 3) what individuals and corporations can do to provide interventions that help victims and end the cycle of violence against women. As the leading nonprofit dedicated to exploring the cultural and social impact of media, the Paley Center often presents forums that examine the role media can play in illuminating social issues and driving positive change, including issues relating to violence against women and women's empowerment. However, the Paley Center does not work directly inside these issues and therefore can be neutral facilitator that brings together different NGOs, foundations, and other nonprofits working in this field as implementing partners for this campaign. Most importantly, the Paley Center can engage its Board of Trustees, who are the chief executives in the largest global media companies, including ABC/Disney, NBC, News Corporation, CBS, Google, Univision, Hearst, Time Warner, and Viacom, to name a few.
SEEKING: Financial Resources, Implementing Partners, Media/Marketing Opportunities
The Paley Center is seeking funders for the campaign, NGOs or nonprofits who can contribute awareness and expertise, and corporate partners who want to pledge to be SHE companies.
OFFERING: Implementing Partners, Media/Marketing Opportunities
The SHE campaign offers a consortium of organizations working in women's and anti-violence issues together with major media companies, working together to help end violence against women.
The SHE campaign will be a consortium of organizations working in women's and anti-violence issues in tandem with major media companies to help end violence against women. The SHE campaign will offer corporations a series of tools that can be customized and implemented within organizations for awareness, education, and mobilization around the issue. For both nonprofit and corporate partners, SHE offers a groundbreaking media/awareness campaign that can highlight their complementary initiatives and promote engagement in an array of efforts, all under the umbrella of the SHE campaign.
