New Campaign Targets Domestic Violence

“We Are All One,” “Those Who Remain Quiet are Accomplices” and “Change Begins with Peace.” These messages will soon be broadcast over national television and radio airwaves as part of a campaign to make Costa Ricans more conscious of domestic violence.

The National Institute for Women (INAMU) in collaboration with the First Lady’s Office launched the campaign. Entitled “We Are All One,” it features three 30-second clips made for radio and television, each of which will air for one month.

The goal is to make people aware of domestic violence, which is a growing problem in Costa Rica, said Gustavo Dallmeir, director of Alianza Creativa, the company that produced the clips.

“We want people to realize that we’ve all been aggressors at one point or another,” Dallmeir said. “Aggression doesn’t just occur physically – it can be a psychological way of asserting power by looking at women as objects.”

Three television commercials were debuted at the inauguration ceremony at Casa Presidencial Feb. 16. The first depicts a young boy playing with Barbie and soldier dolls, making the soldier tell Barbie she has to clean because she’s a woman.

The second commercial shows candles blowing out in the wind, and the third features three women talking about the harmful effects of violent relationships.

Campaign planners hope seeing these clips on television will spark a dialogue between men and women that allows them to develop “ways of living that respect the values and human rights of all people in society, eradicating the various levels of violence and strengthening the Costa Rican family,” according to a statement from INAMU.