Impact of Portrayal of Victims in Anti- Domestic Violence Campaigns

Impact of Portrayal of Victims in Anti- Domestic Violence Campaigns: Insights into the Role of Gender and Culture
The research project aims to provide recommendations for developing effective anti-domestic violence ad campaigns. We focus on domestic violence since it is considered a silent killer, and especially during the current pandemic, it is being considered as shadow pandemic. We aim to understand the impact of victim portrayal on the seriousness with which a domestic violence issue is pursued. In Study 1, we will evaluate the effect of ad portrayal of a strong vs. weak victim image on ad responses. In Study 2, we will match victim gender in the ad with the participant gender to evaluate the role of gender in ad responses. By doing this, we will also focus on male victims who have previously not got much research attention. In Study 3, we explain the process by which viewers form their opinions and attitudes. In the last and final study 4, we will test the effectiveness of our ad in two different cultural contexts- India and the US. By reducing domestic violence instances, this work can have a positive impact on women, families, and society.