Venezuela has taken a different approach to combating violence against women. Venezuela’s new anti-domestic violence campaign, “Count to Three: You, she, your family. Bring out what’s best in you. Stop the violence" is specifically targeted toward men. This new campaign has stemmed from the collaboration of NGOs, the State Institute for Women, United Nations agencies in Venezuela and a private bank name Fondo Común.
“Count to Three” is scheduled to run from 21 September until 25 November (International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women). The campaign can be found in sports and racing magazines, movie theaters and TV stations.
Rather than focusing the campaign on the victims of violence, this campaign deals directly with those causing the violence. The question is no longer “Why does she put up with it?” but “Why does he hit her?”
A survey on perceptions and attitudes of violence against women was given to 1,200 men before the start of the “Count to Three” campaign. The same survey will be conducted at the completion of the campaign in order to monitor the impact of the campaign.
Compiled from: "VENEZUELA: Anti-Domestic Violence Campaign Targets Men," Humberto Márquez, Inter Press Service News Agency, 27 September 2007.