Information from breakthrough’s Bell Bajao campaign site.
In August 2008, breakthrough launched the Bell Bajao! (Ring the Bell!) campaign in India, a 360 degree media campaign to “bring domestic violence to a halt.” Harnessing the power of technology, Bell Bajao! deploys an innovative education and awareness-raising strategy in order to reach Indians living in both the cities and the most remote, rural areas. To date over 124 million people have been reached by this campaign.
The campaign has 4 components: television and radio advertisements, press, social networking sites, video vans, interactive website, and leadership training.
The message of the campaign is simple: ring the bell! The advertisements depict individuals, particularly men and boys, in their homes, playing sports, or at work, when their silence is interrupted by sounds of a man and a woman amidst a violent, domestic dispute. The ads encourage these bystanders to ring the doorbell, and ask for a cup of milk, to use the phone, a cricket ball, etc. Although the campaign does not depict women or girls ‘ringing the bell,’ the Bell Bajao! blog features testimonies from women who have taken action, for example, by ringing the bell and asking neighbors to borrow tea leaves.
In order to reach remote areas, video vans have brought the campaign to over 2.7 million people. The vans use interactive techniques to spread the message, including games, street theater, quizzes, and audio-visual tools.
Bell Bajao! is currently expanding to other countries, including Pakistan and Vietnam. To bring Bell Bajao! to your community, download the toolkit or contact breakthrough!
Watch the other television advertisements online!
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