New sexual violence prevention campaign launched: "Are you that someone?"
Wed 18 Jun 2014
A new sexual violence prevention campaign was launched by Social Development Minister Paula Bennett on 13 June 2014. The campaign is focussed ...
A new sexual violence prevention campaign was launched by Social Development Minister Paula Bennett on 13 June 2014. The campaign is focussed on equipping young people (aged 16-21) with the confidence and knowledge to speak up and step in to keep each other safe. It will run until the end of July.
The key part of the campaign is directly engaging with young people through social media: a dedicated Facebook page and Twitter. A set of posters has also been developed to be displayed in places such as universities, schools, pubs, bars and online (see below).
The images and messages on the posters reflect that victims of sexual violence usually know the perpetrators and the events leading up to an assault are often witnessed by others. They seek to create awareness of what constitutes sexual violence or harrassment, encourage young people to look out for and challenge their mates and peers, let young people know how they can safely take action, and address norms that minimise sexual violence.
The Ministry of Social Development says, "All too often we hear people talk about 'someone' and how they should take action in response to a situation – 'someone should lay a complaint, offer help, etc'. This campaign takes that thought and prompts people by asking 'Are you that someone?'"
Minister Paula Bennett says, "The public debate last year about the alleged activities of the ‘Roast Busters’ group has highlighted confusion around what’s appropriate and what crosses the line into sexual violence, and how to respond."
Ways you can support the campaign
- Like the campaign's Facebook page and follow the campaign on Twitter
- Share the campaign’s posters and messages with your social media followers
- Encourage your followers to like/follow the campaign
- Join the online conversation with comments, contributions or links you would like to share
- Display the posters (take a photo of your display and share it with the campaign on social media)
A limited number of printed posters are available. Email MSD to have a set of four sent to you. Alternatively, you can download a print-ready file of the posters and print as many as you like. (Update: The printed posters and postcards are no longer available. However you can still download and print your own.)
The campaign is being run by the Social Change team at the Ministry of Social Development. It is an initial step in what will be a broader government sexual violence primary prevention strategy.
Media:
Men seen as key to ending sexual violence, 3 News, 28.07.2014
Are you that someone – let’s stop sexual violence campaign, Beehive: Paula Bennett, 13.06.2014
Image: Let's stop sexual violence campaign