Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 4 May 2017
45. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality her plans to develop a multi-year public awareness strategy to target women experiencing domestic violence, perpetrators of domestic violence, the general public and statutory bodies. [21149/17]
View answerThe Government and I as Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality are totally committed to tackling domestic violence. A national awareness campaign on domestic and sexual violence is a key action under the prevention pillar of the Second National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence 2016-2021. The Strategy is being monitored by a range of key state and non-governmental organisations working in the domestic and sexual violence sectors. In addition, an advisory group on the national awareness campaign includes state and non-governmental organisations working in the domestic and sexual violence sectors and campaign experts.
It is intended that the "What would you do?" campaign, which was launched in November 2016, will run for a period of 6 years up to 2021. The campaign recognises that women and men are victims of domestic and sexual violence. The first 3 years will focus on domestic violence to be followed by 3 years dealing with sexual violence but elements of each will be interwoven into each phase of the campaign.
The overall aim of the campaign is to increase the awareness of society of domestic and sexual violence, to bring about a change in long established societal behaviours and attitudes and to activate bystanders with the aim of decreasing and preventing this violence. As a society we must speak out about domestic violence and leave perpetrators in no doubt that this violence will not be tolerated in our country. I believe that these are achievable goals.
"What would you do?" is designed to be a high impact media campaign to reach a national audience that features TV, cinema, radio, outdoor, social and digital advertising. The campaign aims to reduce the very real suffering of those affected through the actions and assistance of bystanders who have been moved to take action by this powerful campaign and the call to action directs people to search the comprehensive campaign website whatwouldyoudo.ie for information and advice on domestic violence for bystanders, victims and perpetrators.
In order to run the campaign, I secured funding of €950,000 for 2016 and also for 2017. In addition €200,000 has been awarded under the Dormant Accounts Fund for the years 2016-2017 to deliver the message of the national campaign at a local level through media partnerships with service providers across the country.
The creative and media agencies TBWA\Dublin and PHD Media Ireland were selected through a rigorous EU wide tender process to work with Cosc - the National Office for the Prevention of Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence to develop and implement the campaign.
Another key objective of the Second National Strategy is to hold perpetrators to account, and in this regard, a range of actions are incorporated in the Strategy which include the continued development of domestic violence perpetrator programmes during the lifetime of the Strategy.
