Anti-DV PSAs from Canada and Australia

[kellyrose82]

While reading a blog post about that Canadian workplace accident PSA that is now scarring the retinas of everyone in the US, I found a link to these two domestic violence PSAs and thought immediately of sharing them with this community. I find them to be very bold and attention-getting (which I think is a GOOD thing), far more than anything I've

Comments

[vaverine]

As far as I know, no one in Canada has seen the PSA on TV since the local stations refused to carry them because the violence depicted was "too extreme". HomeFront (the Calgary, Alberta agency that produced the spots) had support from our local police force, and partner agencies, but were still unable to get the spots on air. Recently there have been other, less graphic, PSAs on tv.

The province of Alberta has the highest rates of domestic assault and stalking in the country. Agencies like HomeFront (originally the Calgary Domestic Violence Court project) are doing what they can to make change, but the public just doesn't want to hear about it. Domestic violence is the leading cause of citizens calling the police, yet it is seldom mentioned when surveys ask Calgarians what criminal activity concerns them.

I know I'm rambling, but I'm in Social Work and I live here and the disconnect just drives me nuts. Locally, I don't think that the PSAs were targeted at stopping violence (thought that would be nice). I think the real target it public apathy. The bystander effect and common "Canadian politeness" combine to keep people silent, keep domestic assault a "private matter". We need SOMETHING to shock people, to make them angry, to get them involved, because otherwise nothing ever changes. And that's just not okay.

[kellyrose82]

You're not rambling at all. I am so glad you commented; this perspective is fascinating. I am shocked (though I suppose I shouldn't be) that these were not aired, despite all the support for them. I think you're right about the spots targeting public apathy, which is certainly something we have in the US, despite our lack of "Canadian politeness." DV Awareness Month seems to me to be generally ignored by the US mainstream media, due to it sharing October with Breast Cancer Awareness month. (Everything is plastered with pink ribbons, rather than the purple DV ones.) Not to take anything away from the importance of fighting female cancers, but I feel like it's an easier topic for the public to pay attention to. Perhaps they feel that cancer victims are easier to sympathize with - there's less perceived blame versus DV survivors, who many people still feel must have done something to deserve their treatment. That's why I thought the Canadian PSA was so great - it shows, among other things, how little it takes to set off an abuser. If people find it outrageous to see that happening to a relative stranger, hopefully they will think a little and recognize that it is just as outrageous within a relationship. It's just unfortunate that, apparently, much fewer people got to see it than should have.