Many of the earlier materials characterize women as the target of violence and as helpless victims, often literally
cowering in fear and shame. Examples include the 1999 poster from the European Commission featuring a
drawing of a woman huddled in the corner of a bathroom, with the text, “If you’re looking for help, you won’t
find it here.”3
Dramatic images such as this one were used to capture the viewer’s attention and to create
awareness of the problem.
More recent materials tend to portray the target of violence as a survivor, empowered by the tools and services
at hand to help her. The messages tend to be hopeful and focused on offering a solution to the situation.
Examples include a 2010 poster from Fundación Ana Bella in Spain, where the word “victim” is crossed out
and replaced with the word “survivor.”4
Another example is the PSA “Preventing Abuse Within Marriage”
from Chocolate Moose’s campaign No Excuses! Created by an international group of producers from Canada,
Holland, South Africa and Switzerland, the PSA features a wedding ceremony where instead of the standard
vows, the officiant asks the man, “Do you promise to beat your wife and abuse her in sickness and in health?”
to which he answers, “I do.” The shocked bride interrupts the ceremony, says, “Excuse me” and leaves the
service.5
Another example comes from the tagline of the Bexar County Family Justice Center based in San
Antonio, Texas, which reads, “Assisting Victims in their Journey from Survivor to Thriver”.