Why is this work relevant for PR?

This idea was relevant for PR because this idea had the potential to bring about a cultural change and it aimed at doing so by forging all sections of society together. First it attacked a mind-set that a girl is dirty because she is raped. After correcting the notion it went on to unify the society behind the tool that helped rapists get caught, DNA and the creative tool of Don’t Wash Don’t Clean Tee Shirt. Big names from the field of media, law and order and apex medical bodies, celebrities all supported the cause,

Background

In India the conviction rate for rape is just 1 out of 100 because the victim is blamed and she is asked to cleanse herself to get rid of the so-called sin lest the word spreads about her, and it becomes very difficult for her to live in the society. This leads to loss of crucial DNA. The brief was to raise awareness about the importance of saving DNA in a rape case .We needed to spread the message that it was very crucial that the girl keeps herself unclean to preserve DNA. The solution came in form of a T-Shirt. A T-Shirt that had evidence marks all over it. The project scale and scope was huge as it involved changing a deep-rooted and had apex bodies from law and order justice and media involved in the execution. The estimated budget of the on ground campaign was Rs 500,000.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

The creative idea in this exercise was a Don’t Wash, Don’t Clean Tee Shirt that was powerful enough to put the rapist behind bars. In india, rapists get away after committing the crime because often there is no evidence that puts them at the rape scene. So we needed a weapon that would arrest this problem. To bring this idea to life we designed a Tee Shirt (Don’t Wash, Don’t Clean Tee Shirt), that had marks like blood, spit, semen etc , that are incriminating evidence in a rape case. Soon the movement caught momentum. Big names from the field of media, law and order and apex medical bodies supported the cause. Celebrities wore this Tee Shirt and advocated the importance of preserving the DNA in a rape case. From a niche topic the Tee Shirt bought the subject in spotlight and for once an entire nation rallied behind it.

Describe the PR strategy (30% of vote)

Our breakthrough strategic insight came from analyzing two key aspects of crime investigation & justice in India – (a) behaviors of members belonging to key stakeholder groups across legal, forensics, (b) cultural aspects and social issues that drive conversations in India. On analyzing the different categories of crimes and related social dimensions and behavioral aspects, we zeroed in addressing the burning issue of rape and sexual crimes against women & children in India. While DNA forensics can help convict the guilty and exonerate the innocent across multiple categories of crimes, we found that the most effective way to make the case for DNA in India was to narrow down campaign focus towards the fight against rape and channelize public outrage to bring about positive change.

Describe the PR execution (20% of vote)

We noticed that the solution that would empower the rape survivor would come in the form of crucial DNA evidence on her body & clothes along with the need to preserve it to bring the guilty to justice. By dentifying and engaging key institutions, influencers, opinion leaders, & subject matter experts, understanding their points of view to map potential gaps and opportunities and getting partner endorsements and making them champions of the cause, first in their own groups/communities and subsequently in larger public forums. In our quest to widen the campaign base, we participated in existing forums and curated opportunities of our own. One discussion led to another, cascading into a pool of opportunities across different stakeholder groups. We organized focused meetings/discussions in various quarters. The idea was to engage key influencers to form a credible advocacy panel that would drive validation for more DNA casework via multiple platforms.

List the results (30% of vote)

This increase in DNA casework can be attributed to an upward trend in press reporting of rape & sexual violence cases owing to public awareness and activism along with steps taken by the government to upgrade police and forensic infrastructure keeping women in mind. DNA Testing Doubles. Lab Backlogs Come Down by 50%: As per recent estimates, the number of DNA profiles developed from crime scene evidence has doubled over a year from 10,000 cases tested in 2017-18 to nearly 20,000 in 2019-20. During the same period, state labs across India managed to reduce DNA testing backlogs by 50% at an average. The DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill has finally been presented in the Lok Sabha (Lower House) of the Parliament by the government and is presently being discussed by a multi-party standing committee before being enacted into a law.