Combating Violence Against Women Through C4D: The "Use Your Voice" Campaign and Its Implications on Audience-Citizens in Papua New Guinea

Vipul Khosla, Akina Mikami, Lauren B. Frank, Isabel Popal, Klara Debeljak, Amelia Shaw

Abstract


Violence against women (VAW) is universally identified as a barrier to legal, social, political, and economic equality for women, violating their rights and fundamental freedoms. This article brings together existing literature and empirical research on addressing such violence in Papua New Guinea (PNG), providing results that can inform future work in this area. The literature review examines the causes of violence against women and the role that communication for development (C4D) can play in addressing these issues. The Use Your Voice campaign was implemented in PNG in late 2011 in an effort to promote speaking out against violence and displace the positive cultural association between violence and masculinity. We assess the campaign’s impact using data drawn from a national survey. The discussion examines the survey results in light of the literature, critically reviewing the campaign and outlining learning for future programs.


Keywords


communication for development, gender, violence against women, media campaigns, social norms

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