Household objects get a voice in chilling campaign against domestic violence for Avon

A recent UN report states that the most dangerous place for women is their own home. This is the insight used for a chilling awareness campaign titled ‘You Are Not Alone’ from Brazil, which aims to highlight domestic violence by telling stories of distress from the perspective of the only eyewitness: an object inside that house. The objects chosen include a broom, a teddy bear and a pan, and are simple and ordinary – the things that people can find in any house. Just like domestic violence. 

Domestic violence is endemic in Brazil. In 2015, the government released a study that showed that over 70% of the Brazilian female population will suffer some kind of violence throughout their lifetime.  And it’s a lonely battle. It’s her. Him. The house. And lots of objects… Objects that saw, heard, lived and now will tell.

Seven different stories of domestic violence are all narrated by an object. The stories are divided into five types of domestic violence: physical, sexual, psychological, moral and property – as classified by Brazil’s Maria da Penha Law – a comprehensive set of policies geared towards eradicating domestic violence against women in Brazil. 

The campaign is created for Brazil’s Avon Institute, the social investment arm of Avon, the beauty brand. For 15 years, Avon Institute has been dedicated to saving lives and fighting violence against women and girls. Avon is of course famous for their door-to-door female sales representatives, who have traditionally been the vital link between the brand and women and their home environments. ‘You Are Not Alone’ is created by a group of agencies called HUB AVON, which is made up of J. Walter Thompson Brasil, Mutato and I-Cherry.

“We identified the central reason behind why so few female victims of violence report this crime: the lack of an eye-witnesses. There are still few female-led police stations, and women give up reporting cases of violence because they do not believe there is real support to help them effectively. Through the “testimony” of the only witness (the objects involved), we are shedding a light on this problem and showing that there is a support network created by Avon to help in these cases,” said Danilo Janjacomo, Creative Director, HUB Avon, Brazil.

“After a lot of research we came to understand that domestic violence is a crime with no face. It can happen anywhere and to any women. And this is the reason why all the stories talk about ‘she’ and ‘he’. There is no name, no race, no age and no social class. Exactly how domestic violence works. So the impact each story has will be different for each person – and will depend a lot on the background they have and the stories they’ve already heard. Unfortunately, most people know a domestic violence story,” added Julia Machado, Copywriter, HUB Avon, Brazil.

The campaign includes multiple long-form print executions for magazines such as Marie Claire, Claudia and Piauí, radio commercials, film content and outdoor. 

To create additional awareness, the stories of domestic violence as told by the household objects is also part of an art exhibition at Fale Sem Medo (Don’t Be Afraid To Speak Out), at the Ibirapuera Auditorium in São Paulo.

Source: J. Walter Thompson Brasil

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