Update on Campaign for Action on Family Violence

The following is the October update from the Campaign for Action on Family Violence team:

Staggering response

Since the campaign launch in Wellington last month we have been staggered at the way people have grabbed the campaign idea and are developing their own innovative projects and plans. We have also been overwhelmed at the response and feedback we are receiving through the campaign website. Unsolicited comments like these tell us we are on the right track.

"Just got a call from a chap who saw the ad on TV last night; he had thought about it all day and rang the 0800 number for help with his violence. He has been hitting his wife for years and putting his kids through hell and wants to do something about it. He saw it with his wife and asked her if she thought that was him. She laughed nervously. I referred him to the local men's programme."

“I don’t have any questions, I just wanted to write and say how happy I am to see these ads about domestic violence. I myself was in an abusive relationship for four years with three children. I commend the ads on TV as this does need to become more of a public issue. There is NOTHING to be ashamed about and that’s probably one of the biggest problems women like myself have to deal with. Thank you for the work you are doing. I’m sure this campaign will have great success!”

“I did training for the NZ College of Midwives at Waitakere Hospital yesterday and the group was very positive about the current campaign. They commented that it makes the screening process easier for them, because of heightened awareness in the community and because they can see their work is part of a coordinated strategy.”

Spreading the word

Taranaki winners
Three Work and Income staff who deal with the impact of family violence on a daily basis decided to use the campaign message that “Family Violence is not OK” in a really creative way. They designed an outfit for the Taranaki Daily News Fashion Art Awards, a local version of the wearable art awards, and won the “Off the Wall” category. The creation took almost 100 hours to make. It is a cloak with a beautiful design on the outside which opens up to reveal the headlines and faces of those affected by family violence. The message is that family violence is often a hidden problem and people who suffer from it project outwardly that everything is good in the world.

Bin bag messages
Waitakere was first off the blocks in supporting the national campaign with local billboards using the campaign branding. They have now taken their campaign to the streets – literally – printing the message “Family Violence - It’s not OK in Waitakere ‘on 300,000 council rubbish bags being sold in supermarkets and dairies.

Posters for Palmy
The Manawatu Abuse Intervention Network have taken the campaign colours and logo and produced their own set of posters for use in public places throughout the Manawatu as part of their own local campaign. They are also planning a billboard for Palmerston North.

Rotary support
District Governor for Wellington Pat Waite is taking a great interest in the campaign, spreading the word and gathering support for the campaign throughout the region. Families Commission Chief Commissioner Rajen Prasad is encouraging this support and will be addressing a conference of New Zealand and international Rotary leaders in Wellington in mid November.

Foyer display
Large scale display panels used for the national campaign launch, featuring the faces and messages from the TV advertisement, have been installed in the foyer of Ministry of Social Development’s national office, in Wellington and are attracting a great amount of attention. Consideration is now being given to other possible venues for similar displays.

Resources

Website and 0800 line
The website www.areyouok.org.nz is attracting about 1,200 visits a week including a steady number of emails for information about services and about family violence. The campaign’s 0800 Family Violence Information Line (0800 456 450) is handling about 350 calls a week.

Engaging men
Men are making up about half of the callers to the campaign’s 0800 line. The number of men seeking information is higher than expected. Enquiries range from men concerned about their own behaviour to men concerned about the behaviour of mates or other family members.

One man said he had been hitting his wife for decades but recognised his behaviour in the television advertisement and decided it was ok to ask for help to change and phoned the 0800 number. Callers are spread across the country with more coming from urban areas, although many callers use cell phones which do not show their location.

Booklets
Nearly 30,000 copies of a booklet on family violence have been distributed or downloaded from the website. Around 800 copies of the Community Action Toolkit have been mailed out, providing communities with information about how to take action against family violence.

Posters
Posters featuring the faces and quotes used in the TV advertisement are currently being produced and will be available via the campaign website. Balloons and badges will also be available soon. Watch the website for details.

Community Action Fund
Sixty two projects have now been funded, 33 in the first round and 29 in the second round. Information about the projects is available on the website www.areyouok.org.nz Projects funded in the second round have filled important gaps in the Auckland region, and increased the number of whole-community, Māori, Pacific projects and migrant and refugee projects. The fund will be reviewed before any further rounds are undertaken. The review will inform decisions about the most effective ways to channel resources to local communities during the next phase of the campaign.

The current issue of the latest Te Rito News is devoted to the campaign and stories about projects funded by the Community Action Fund. Go to www.familyservices.govt.nz/publications/te-rito-news.html to download a copy.

Pacific Launch
A campaign targeted at Pacific peoples will be launched in Auckland next month. Resource materials specifically designed for Pacific peoples will be released at the event which will be held at the East Tamaki Congregational Christian Church of Samoa on November 29. About two hundred people are expected to attend representing a cross section of people from the Pacific community, families, politicians and local community leaders. The event is being coordinated by the Pacific Advisory Group that provides advice to the Taskforce for Action on Violence within Families. The group comprises eleven Pacific community leaders from throughout New Zealand:

Media advocacy
The media advocacy work for the campaign continues to be welcomed and endorsed around the country. The media training workshop has been delivered to family violence prevention groups in most communities. Community spokespeople are listed on the campaign website and are frequently quoted in news media reports. A seminar will have been delivered to all registered journalism schools by the end of 2007, and is now being offered to newsrooms for working journalists.

A media audit is underway which will document the effect this work has had on the quality, frequency and accuracy of news media reporting of family violence. The audit compares news stories from 2005 with news stories in the later part of 2007 and will be completed by the end of October 2007, with ongoing reports provided until June 2008. Early indications are that our work has had a substantial impact.

Campaign launch
Several hundred people attended the launch of the campaign in Wellington, hosted by the Families Commission and Chief Commissioner, Rajen Prasad. Speakers were the Prime Minister, Helen Clark, Associate Minister of Social Development, Ruth Dyson and Amokura community spokesperson Di Grennell.

Di Grennell captured the spirit of the campaign. She said “each one of us brings who we are, as we approach the issue of violence. Each one of us is a meeting place of time and history, beliefs, patterns and fears, bombarded daily by messages and expectations. Each community, each whanau, is also a meeting place where dominant ideas play out. Individually and collectively - we can choose to change our beliefs and our behaviour. Collectively I hope we’re brave enough for an ‘extreme make over’ – we need one.”

The response we have had in these early days of the campaign suggests the makeover has begun.

Contacting us
The Campaign for Action on Family violence is a four year campaign to change New Zealanders attitudes and behaviour in relation to family violence. The campaign is being led by the Ministry of Social Development and the Families Commission.

If you want more information about the campaign or would like someone to talk to your organisation about how they can get involved, please contact the project team. Also, let us know if you don’t want to receive future campaign updates or if you would like to be added to our mailing list.

Contact: Pete Richardson email: pete.richardson008@msd.govt.nz or contact us via the campaign website: www.areyouok.org.nz