The Campaign

Most domestic abuse cases in Malaysia only come to light after a victim has already been severely abused because in the early stages, a victim finds it hard to accept that their loved one is abusing them. Hence, most victims in the early stages of abuse tend to be uncertain or even in denial about the abuse. WAO’s objectives were to raise awareness regarding the early stages of abuse (especially among victims themselves), and increase the number of conversations between victims and their counselors. Our strategy was to externalize and share the very thoughts that were keeping victims trapped in abuse. All this led to our creative work – a series of exhibitions that featured dresses, shirts and blouses, hand-stitched with victim’s excuses. When viewed, they created a window for victims to realize their own justifications, and also the abuse. The campaign also introduced victims to a live text helpline called TINA (Think I Need Aid) – a counselor and a friend whom they could talk to in discretion and anonymity. We realized that our campaign required special PR support in order to reach women nationwide. Hence we sought and gained the support of dynamic female politicians, who crossed the political divide and came together as advocates for our cause. Eventually, the campaign generated over 3 million social media impressions, and RM1.2 million in earned media value, and resulted in over 1,700 texts with over 100 women in 1 month alone.

The Brief

WAO’s objectives were to raise awareness regarding the early stages of abuse (especially among victims themselves), and increase the number of conversations between victims and WAO’s counselors by at least 50% within 3 months

Results

In terms of awareness, our campaign was highly engaging with over 3 million social media impressions and a retweet rate of 71%, mainly due to an effective PR strategy. The estimated total earned media value is about RM1.2 million, which include appearing on TV, print (major dailies), and even radio ads in multiple language to reach the Malaysians of various races. Against a budget of RM10,000, we gained 120 times return on investment. TINA, our live text helpline resulted in over 1,700 texts in a month with over 100 women who otherwise might never have sought help – an increase of 139% from the average number of women calling the existing helpline. In other words, women now had an avenue that allowed them to ask or talk more confidently about what they were facing, helping them to start walking away from abuse before it’s too late.

Execution

The female leaders come together as advocates of our cause. It began with a photoshoot of each wearing our No Excuse for Abuse t-shirt, which they then shared online to their followers, giving our campaign significant traction. They were also featured in a series of exhibitions nationwide, where dresses, shirts and blouses hand-stitched with victim’s excuses became works of art that served to externalize the thoughts and justifications of victims in the early stages of abuse. Aside from creating awareness, the campaign also introduced victims to a live text helpline called TINA (Think I Need Aid), designed specially for victims in the early stages of abuse.

The Situation

Most domestic abuse cases in Malaysia only come to light after a victim has already been severely abused. This is due to the rather conservative societal norms of Malaysia (and perhaps Asia as a whole) that views domestic abuse as a household matter that should be kept private, and also the nature of an abusive relationship in which a victim finds it hard to accept that their loved one is abusing them. This causes most victims in the early stages of abuse to be uncertain or even in denial about the abuse.

The Strategy

It was crucial that our campaign reached women nationwide, both on social media and on-ground. Hence our PR strategy – to gain the support of dynamic female leaders from both sides of the political divide during this time of political tension in Malaysia: - Nancy Shukri (de facto Law Minister; Minister in the Prime Minister’s department) - Mas Ermieyati (ruling party female youth wing chief) - Nurul Izzah (Member of Parliament, daughter of de facto Opposition Leader – Anwar Ibrahim) - Hannah Yeoh (Malaysia’s first State Assembly woman speaker)