Chapter 3. Public service campaign issues

Chapter 3. Public service campaign issues

3.1 Rationale:

Domestic violence in Malaysia has been monitored  domestic violence as a social  issue that has bad side effect on the cultures, families and the whole society which might destroy their live as a women who have rights to be equal to men.

reports from the organization has mention the silence or the hidden of the problem is the main and major problem that all organizations are facing, because of the traditional believe in the privacy of family and the intimacy of marital relationships and this problem should work out privately between wife and her husband, which make many Malaysian women are afraid to speak about. in other hand, there are many reports has mentioned that many women who have looking for help from organizations and caught by their husbands, they have suffered more physical and emotional.

lots of women's perception of domestic violence is just a physical abuse, while the violence can be emotional, sexual and fanatical abuse. Besides the bad experience on battered women during  a violent relationship and after leaving it, such as depression, tension, fear, and  guilty. These negative emotions of hopelessness and fear together with a low self-esteem and self-confidence are a major factor in keeping women in the same situation for years.  therefore that perception should be changed to cover all that kind of domestic violence, and  to let women know their rights more clearly and to know that there is  punishes by both criminal law under assault and the Domestic Violence Act, and the Muslim Syariah law as part of cruelty to the wife.

3.2 Overview of campaign:

The main reason of this campaign is to break the fear of silence, by educating the public about domestic violence, that is not a private matter between husband and wife only, but it is a crime that the abuser should be punished upon it. Changing the public perception whose always blames women because of their husbands' anger taking her for granted, therefore, the campaign will educate the public and the female victims specifically about their rights they could exercise against any abuse, moreover increasing awareness about ignoring such abuses, because silence is not the way  to sustain their family live, or holding  the family together for a longer period Actually silence is soft killer that usually makes the victim lives in illusion to not to share any abuses in order to keep the family live, which in reality will lead to a miserable life and in the long term it will have a serious effects like depression and  tension let alone the physical damage that the victim will suffer from.

Break the fear of silence by encouraging victims to speak out, this will have a good respond on the whole society, and will result in educated outspoken society, victims would not be afraid of the upcoming.

Eventually, we initiated this campaign to be unique and different from its rivals, because the number of the women who are exposed to such violence are more that those who actually reported it. Break the silence and increase the awareness on its danger is our main priority hoping to build a better family which will construct a better society

   3.3 Current situation in Malaysia

Source: from WAO Annual Statistics for2009, COMPILED IN 2010

In 2009, 119 women were given shelter, in comparison in 2008 where 115 women were given shelter.

Reasons for seeking shelter	Number	Percentage
Domestic violence	89	74.8
Single mother pregnancy	6	5.9
No place to stay	7	5.9
Rape	1	0.8
MDW Abuse	4	3.4
Family problems	2	1.7
Trafficked	3	2.5
Others	7	5.0
Total	119	100

Reasons for seeking shelter	Number	Percentage
Single	23	19.3
Legally married	69	58.0
Customary marriage	9	7.6
Cohabiting	6	5.0
Divorced	3	2.5
Separated	8	6.7
Widowed	1	0.8
Total	119	100

There were 119 women who sought shelter at the Refuge. Out of those, 89 were victims or survivors of domestic violence, compared to 62 in the previous year which shows an increase of 44%.

Type of abuse	Number	Percentage
Physical	82	92.1
Psychological	89	100.0
Sexual	29	32.6
Financial	55	61.8
Social	53	59.6

Perpetrator	Number	Percentage
Husband	78	95.1
Boyfriend	3	3.7
Cohabiter	1	1.2
Total	82	100.0

3.4 Industry Analysis

Public service advertising is to educate the public on issues that are frequently considered to be in the general best interests of the community at large, by rising awareness of an issue that is going to affect the public attitude.

Usually public service advertising campaigns are organized by non-profit organizations or government agencies with cooperative sponsors to contribute towards the campaign success, so that campaign  deliver  it’s messages  clearly  and efficiently.

Nowadays, public service advertising is trying to cover many social issues that would make the community react to it by adopting the good habits promoted. Such as children abuse, environmental issues, speeding, littering and many other issues.

3.5 Marketplace analysis

Society awareness contributions

            Since the last years, there has been an enormous amelioration on domestic violence knowledge and abuses among the people living in Malaysia. This could be seen on the on the number of cases reported which rapidly increased; numbers of source of awareness on domestic violence has emerged and became more diversified like (Friends, NGO, Welfare, Police, Relative, Embassy .etc), but on the other hand, there are many issues that we should emphasize on like the unemployment women who were exposed to domestic violence, have increased comparing between the years 2007 (53) unemployed women, to the year 2009 (74) unemployed women’s.

  Moreover the number of legally married women who reported on domestic violence has grown from 43 women in 2007 to 69 women in 2009.

   Great favor on the domestic violence awareness goes to several organizations and societies that contributed to educate, spread and acknowledge the residents in Malaysia. One of those organizations is the pixel project who responded by donating to the women aid organization to save them from the financial crisis they were facing. All Women’s Action Society (AWAM) is an independent feminist organization committed to improving the lives of women in Malaysia,  AWAM’s advocacy work has focused primarily on rape.

3.6 SWOT of the campaign:

strength:

• educate the public more about the definition of domestic violence witch says domestic violence is not just physical abuse but it can  be sexual, mental torture, financial, social abuse.  
• raise the level of awareness among the society.
• Encourage victims to break the silence and fear through speaking up.
• educate the people about how can they help victims of domestic violence to find solution by give them advises on how can they contact the organizations.
• because WAO is non-religion organization, which means the campaign will target the whole society.    
• WAO as a sponsor of the campaign is highly trusted by people.
• The Body Shop will cover all the cost of the brochures of the campaign and distribute them in their outlet shop which will help to deliver the message more wider among the society.

 Weakness:

• The Domestic Violence Act (1994) is not covering any other abuses except the physical one, therefore, many abused women will scared of speaking out.
• Malaysian government does not provide shelters for abused women, which mean some victims will be scare of trusting the campaign.

opportunities:

• the campaign may affect the government obligation to set up shelters for victims of domestic.
• the campaign may affect the Domestic Violence Act to be reform by the law to cover all other kind of violence.
• the understanding of domestic violence against women among the young generation will reduce the violence more and more in the future.

threats

• the religious misunderstanding   might lead many people to rejecting being involve in the campaign. 
• the campaign might be effected by any financial crises, thus the success of the campaign will be reduced.      
• Malaysia society does not have organization for men to educate perpetrators, and to solve their misperceptions about women and men roles, and using of power and control.  

3.7 Target Market:

 The campaign will be targeting the whole society in general, and the victims of domestic violence in specific in their marriage live at urban and sub urban areas , therefore, we will divide the target audiences into two categories:

First target audience: Victims of domestic violence (women).

the campaign will be more focus on those how are abused by their husbands.

the victims how has been married for one to four years, because they can accept the idea more easier that the one who lives in domestic violence for long time because those has been lived in domestic violence for long time, and they will think domestic violence is one of men's roles.

the women young generation between 22 to 35 years old.

Second Target audience: public (family, Neighbors, friends)

we are targeting the public in general because the public needs to more educated about what how can they help the abused women to break the silence of fear and speak up, by giving the victims women's organization number, advices, report to police station upon her cause and many other ways other ways.

3.8 Competitors Analysis:

3.8.1 Direct competitors:

Its work includes developing and implementing public education, advocacy and lobbying campaigns for the improvement of services to women, legal reforms, enhancing women-centered perspectives (through gender sensitizing) and capability building (especially in counseling and crisis intervention for community leaders).

Women Crisis Center (WCC): 

WCC is a registered, non-profit voluntary organization set up in 1985 to help women and children facing crisis, irrespective of race, religion or social background. Our work is to provide immediate service for women needing crisis intervention as well as to undertake programs to promote gender equality in our society.

Sister In Islam (SIS):

Sisters in Islam (SIS) is a group of Muslim professional women committed to promoting the rights of women within the framework of Islam. Their efforts to promote the rights of Muslim women are based on the principles of equality, justice and freedom enjoined by the Qur’an.

Tenaganita:

The main activities of Tenaganita are aimed at empowering sex workers, migrants, and  female workers in plantations and factories. Health, domestic violence, worker's rights, family law and economic empowerment projects are important issues of action. 

3.8.2 Indirect competitors:

Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals SPCA:

SPCA Selangor is an animal welfare organization. The aim of the SPCA is to protect defenseless animals and to alleviate their suffering.  We provide an adoption program, investigation of cruelty reports, humane education, assistance to community animal caregivers and run a dedicated, low-cost spay/ neuter clinic. We also lobby the Government and local municipals for humane treatment of animals and harsher penalties for perpetrators of crimes against animals. 

OrphanCARE:

OrphanCARE  aims to help change society’s mindset towards orphans, recognizing that children should not be left permanently in orphanages which should really only be ‘transit points’ before they are placed with families who can bring them up in a proper family structure.