In October 2006, CAEPV Member South Carolina Office of the Attorney General partnered with Wal-Mart on a pilot public awareness campaign to fight domestic violence in South Carolina. Domestic violence awareness posters were displayed in the women's restrooms and dressing rooms of five Wal-Mart stores in the Pee Dee area with tear-off resource cards, written in both English and Spanish, listing the telephone numbers for domestic violence hotlines and local shelters. This effort allowed customers and associates to privately gather resource information.
The effort worked! In the three months following the start of the project, the Pee Dee Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Assault saw a 60% increase in the number of calls they received to their victim hotline.
On May 8, 2007, the South Carolina Attorney General's Office and Wal-Mart announced they are taking the program statewide to fight domestic violence. With an additional $10,000 donation from Wal-Mart, the awareness program also includes billboards and the newly created website: You Break The Silence.
To learn more about the campaign and view the campaigns posters and billboards, go to http://www.scattorneygeneral.com/newsroom/posters.php.
2 comments:
I am an advocate for domestic abuse and sexual assault victims. I heard about this campaign on the radio and thought it was an excellent idea. I contacted Corporate Walmart and was instructed to contact the regional manager, which I did. Our agency was denied permission to place tearoff posters in the restrooms and fitting rooms. I was told that we could give them our information and if a customer requests such information, they would give it to them. I was shocked. What is the big deal of placing posters in the restrooms and fitting rooms? What victim is going to request information at the Walmart courtesy counter? I live in Iowa and would love to see a statewide campaign. How should I go about doing it? Should I go above the Regional managers head?
Hi Erin -- why don't you try doing what they have done successfully in Oklahoma and South Carolina? Contact the Attorney General's Office in Iowa and let them know about the partnerships the other AG's have had with Wal-Mart and see if they will work with you on a "regional pilot" with Wal-Mart. I think part of the success in South Carolina and Oklahoma has been the partnership with the AG offices. Good luck! Kim
Post a Comment