We Can! Singapore takes on violence against women with art and social media

SINGAPORE – One in 10 women in Singapore will face physical violence from a man in her lifetime. Six in 10 victims will suffer repeated violence. As part of the We Can! End All Violence Against Women global social movement, We Can! Singapore rolled out a campaign for 16 Days of Activism, starting on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and ending on December 10.

 

Using a fresh new Facebook app and a striking video of bystander action, it will draw ordinary people in to find out more about gender violence in society. We Can! Singapore said in a press release. The We Can! Arts Fest will follow on December 8, bringing art and activism together to break the silence of violence through music, theater, film and spoken word.

 

 

 

 

What would you do if you saw a man abusing his girlfriend in the middle of Orchard Road?

 

This is the question that the We Can! Singapore campaign poses with a new video, ‘Would you step in?’. It has gone viral since its release on December 2, with now more than 87,000 views on YouTube in just a few days through purely earned media. The video has also been published across multiple mainstream and alternative media channels. The video was shot and cut by Blk A Pictures.

 

The main message of the video is that we all have a part to play in ending violence against women. It focuses on those who intervened, to highlight the value of helping strangers in need, and to encourage others to do the same. This message urgently needs to be heard. The Charities Aid Foundation, which measures the willingness of people to help strangers across 135 countries and economies, ranked Singapore in second last place in its latest index.

 

 

The “Would You Step In?” video depicts violence in a public place, but it also emphasises that most violence against women happens at home, and directs viewers to ‘Blk 2511’, a Facebook app that takes users behind the doors of a seemingly peaceful HDB block to uncover stories of abuse. 

 

Listen to what’s happening to women and children every day, at the hands of those we usually trust the most, and answer the ringing call to action. The application features 21 stories of violence recorded at Snakeweed Studios by renowned audio engineer, Leonard Soosay with the help of We Can! volunteers. It seeks to communicate that domestic violence is not a private matter.

 

 

On December 8, the We Can! Arts Fest, with the aim of breaking the silence of violence, brought activists, artists and survivors together in an exciting lineup of music, theater, spoken word, film and visual art.

 

Emerging artists such as Deborah Emmanuel, Jasmine Cooray and Jeni-Louise presented their unique interpretations of the theme, provoking thought and conversation on topics usually swept under the rug and kept silent. Interactive pieces gave our audience the space to express their views and reflect on change in their own lives. The We Can! Arts fest was a success with a turnout of over 300 people.

   

“We’re really pleased with the strong positive response our campaign,” said We Can! coordinator Kokila Annamalai. “The amazing efforts of the volunteers and artists, as well as collaborators like Xpointo Media, Snakeweed Studios and Blk A Pictures, have helped to truly strike a chord with the community. There’s been a widespread but also in-depth engagement with the issues and questions we’ve raised – about the everyday attitudes and behavior that contribute to violence against women, and the way that every individual can play a part in changing them.”

 

“We believe anti-violence is a great cause and we are delighted to be able to contribute to the We Can! Campaign. We worked with We Can! Singapore to conceptualise the creative ideas and deliver the digital execution for the ‘Blk 2511’ Facebook app and the “Would you step in?” video,” said Chris Basil, Senior Manager Digital Projects for Xpointo Media. “As this was a pro bono project for us, it was a good opportunity for us to bring in other collaborators, namely Blk A Pictures and Snakeweed Studios who brought in their respective expertise in video production and audio engineering.”