The BaBe Association and the Agency for Electronic Media will conduct a public awareness campaign about gender-based online violence against women during June.
The central part of the campaign consists of video and radio spots and billboards that aim to warn of the "consequences" of publishing intimate recordings without consent, which for perpetrators are up to three years in prison.
Campaign video
"Although people faced with online violence most often encounter stigmatization, misunderstanding and condemnation from their environment, with this campaign we want to raise awareness that they are not alone and that when reporting and confronting the abuser, they have various forms of support and protection at their disposal, such as the platform NEON which offers access to free legal and psychological counseling.", said Dean Šarčević, coordinator of the SURF and SOUND project, which is implemented by the BaBe association in partnership with the Agency for Electronic Media.
The public will have the opportunity to see and hear the videos on television and radio programs and on social networks, and the most important messages will also appear on billboards in Zagreb, Split, Rijeka, Osijek and Zadar.
"The involvement of the media in raising public awareness of this problem is of great importance and I thank them all for broadcasting these videos in their programs without financial compensation. It is also important to additionally educate the representatives of media outlets, both journalists and editors, about this problem. That is why we have organized workshops for journalists as part of the project. Next Monday, a workshop will be held in Rijeka, followed by workshops in Zagreb, Vinkovci, Split and Zadar.", said Vanja Gavran, a member of the Electronic Media Council.
Anita Malenica, a member of the Electronic Media Council, said on the occasion of the start of the campaign that the Council and the Agency are working very hard to promote topics important for improving the position of women in our society. "It is very important that all segments of our society engage on these and similar topics, because only through synergy can we achieve visible progress and good results. We are happy that as partners in this project we can make our contribution, and of course we are open to other similar projects.", said Malenica.
The national awareness campaign is being implemented as part of the SURF and SOUND project, which aims to combat gender-based online violence against women by raising awareness of the problem, strengthening the capacities of experts and providing direct support to victims, and is co-financed by the European Union, the Office for Cooperation with NGOs of the Government of the Republic of Croatia, and the City of Zagreb.
Online violence against women is a form of gender-based violence that affects women disproportionately and with more severe consequences than men. It can be defined as the use of computer systems and modern communication technology as a means of committing violence against women, leading to various forms of non-property and property damage.
It is estimated that one in ten women (aged 15) has experienced online violence. Women across Europe, including Croatia, are affected by the publication, manipulation or threat of publication of intimate images without consent, online stalking, which includes monitoring, unwanted contact and publication of personal information without consent, coercion to provide intimate images and even online rape, and the perpetrators are most often ex-partners or strangers.
Numerous studies have identified psychological consequences of online violence in victims, such as high levels of anxiety, stress disorders, depression, trauma, panic attacks, loss of self-esteem and a feeling of powerlessness in being unable to resist the abuse. In addition to psychological consequences, victims often suffer physical consequences in the form of deteriorating health and economic damage due to loss of employment, inability to find employment or inability to start or continue education, especially in situations where they are exposed to online violence in a business or academic environment or when the perpetrator has involved persons from the aforementioned environments in his unlawful actions.
Unfortunately, the experience of the free counseling center for victims of online violence of the BaBe association indicates the devastating fact that in as many as 601% of cases, women do not report online violence to the police and/or the state attorney's office, which indicates the need for greater understanding, support, and empathy for victims, both in terms of institutions that should provide them with a greater degree of protection, and within a narrow circle of friends, family, and community.
The goal of the national campaign is to reverse negative trends, increase understanding and solidarity, and encourage people who face abusers to report violence, in which they can count on support.
The SURF and SOUND project and the national campaign are co-financed by the European Union's Rights, Equality and Citizenship programme (2014-2020). The content of this press release is the sole responsibility of the BaBe association and the Agency for Electronic Media.
