Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls
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Southwark Council
Through Her Eyes
‘Everyday’ sexist behaviour sits on a sliding scale of harm where, if not called out, can escalate into violence against women and girls. This abuse is often seen as an inevitable part of normal life because of deeply rooted misogynistic attitudes towards women and girls. Our campaign film with Southwark Council inspires men and boys to make it right by challenging their own attitudes and behaviour, and that of others.
Problem
In Southwark – and across the rest of the country – women and girls face sexual harassment from men and boys on a daily basis. 71% of women of all ages in the UK have experienced some form of sexual harassment in a public space. This number then rises to 86% among 18-24-year-olds.
We need more men and boys to see life 'through a girl's eyes', because once they see what it means and feels like to experience sexual harassment every day, they can help stop it.
Solution
Rather than focusing on those who experience it, we wanted the campaign video to remind boys and men of their responsibility to call out unacceptable behaviour and ultimately stop male violence against women and girls. We felt that the best way to do this was to swap gender roles and portray to boys and men what it actually feels like to be objectified and sexually harassed.
We developed a narrative that follows a teenage boy who is forced to navigate through the unwanted attention and sexual harassment from women and girls on his way to school. When writing the script, we collaborated with female talent from local universities to adapt language and nuances that would cut through to the target audience.
‘Through Her Eyes’ was launched on White Ribbon Day 2022, a national day to raise awareness of violence against women and girls.
Impact
Screenings of the film were held in all 18 secondary schools in Southwark. Campaigning for the film will continue in September 2023, working with Southwark Young Advisors to help embed the film within schools’ PSHE curriculum and youth groups’ work. The Metropolitan Police have also embedded the film in their work with schools.
The release was covered by multiple national press outlets, including The Mirror, Campaign Magazine, Evening Standard and PR Week. Sadiq Khan, The Mayor of London, and Harriet Harman, MP for Camberwell and Peckham, also provided public endorsement for the campaign.
Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, said: “We all need to work together as a society to tackle the epidemic of violence against women and girls. This excellent campaign by Southwark Council will help to get the message across to men and boys that words matter and there is a link between misogyny and violence. Every Londoner should watch this."
Since it's launch, the film has been viewed over 467,000 times and has been shortlisted in the Local Government Chronicle for campaign of the year.
