Nine out of ten women have been victims of sexist harassment and/or sexual assault on the streets. For years, the city of Brussels has been trying to solve the problem through awareness campaigns, but unfortunately, nothing seems to be changing. The briefing was simple: educate citizens and show both victims and aggressors that the city does not tolerate these behaviors. Street harassment and nighttime assaults are taboo subjects in Brussels. It's a problem that's often minimized and relativized. The objective was to make the problem visible to the people of Brussels.
Philosophie
In recent years, many cities have invested in different solutions, such as "the sorority" type applications or help buttons placed in "at-risk" public spaces. These solutions have proven effective at times but have also often had their limitations. We have therefore decided to invest in the thousands of help buttons that are already available in all cities. Buttons with real humans just behind them... We have decided to provide all Brussels citizens with stickers in the formats of the different types of Brussels doorbells, capable of turning each doorbell into a help button. This is an opportunity to show victims that they are never really alone and to show harassers that the witness family is vigilant, even when the family is not present. These stickers, in addition to shining in the dark, have been printed in more than 180,000 copies
Problem
Brussels residents received one of the 180,000 stickers sheet by mail, which included a short film inviting them to join the Witnesses family and providing guidance on how to respond to street harassment. In addition, Brussels famous influencers took responsibility for explaining the significance of displaying the stickers and promoting the Join the Fam initiative. To further increase visibility, we launched a postering campaign, including wild postering in bars, restaurants, and clubs, with posters explaining our mission. To expand our reach, we enlisted the support of the Belgian Minister of Equal Chances, who promoted the stickers during press conferences and on television.
Ergebnis
The issue of street harassment caught the attention of national press and television, becoming a hot topic of discussion. Even after the distribution of all sticker sheets, the campaign website received requests from over 3200 individuals. The campaign generated such a buzz that the President Minister pledged to make it a sustainable project for the city, rather than a one-time campaign. This commitment ensures that street harassment will remain a recurring issue that the city will address in the coming years.