The Nation's Health

Agency places men as victims of verbal abuse in a film that cannot be muted, paused or skipped. The study “Map of Violence 2015 – Homicide of Women in Brazil¹”, published by the Department of Public Policies for Women Presidency of the Republic (SPM-PR), shows that, on each day of 2014, 405 women were assisted at health centers in Brazil as a result of physical violence (48.7%), psychological violence (23%) and sexual violence (11.9%). In the streets, one of the most committed types of aggression is verbal. For this abuse not to be seen as a common habit anymore, F.biz calls everybody to visit the website www.caleoassedio.com.br to show their support for the cause defended by Maria da Penha Institute (IMP), which, since 2009, has fought for women’s rights.

On the website, people can leave their signatures and also watch a video that started being displayed in April, in 30” and 60” versions, on the main portals with men’s audience such as GQ, ESPN, UOL Carros and UOL Esportes. “The film cannot be muted, paused or skipped, and it speaks directly to men”, points out Guilherme Jahara, F.biz’s CCO (chief creative officer).

Right in the first scenes, an actor resorts to the same language as the one used by aggressors to make men feel what a woman goes through when she is abused. The piece ends with a warning and awareness message: “This video does not skip, pause or mute. It is like real abuse that women go through everyday in the streets. Without being able to escape. Abuse is not a compliment. It’s violence”.

“Many men think that this type of approach is faced as a compliment by women. We want to make it clear that, actually, it is an extreme aggression and disrespect”, says Conceição de Maria, project coordinator at Maria da Penha Institute. The goal of the “Shut Abuse Up” campaign is changing men’s perception and calling everybody’s attention to a behavior that encourages disrespect and violence against women.