Campaign profile

Background

CARE Cambodia’s #WhyStop Short Film Competition is an initiative to engage young men and boys in the fight against sexual harassment. It is part of CARE’s Safe Workplaces, Safe Communities project, funded by the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women, with additional support from the Australian Government.

 

Sexual harassment is one of the most common forms of abuse experienced by women in Cambodia. But 20% of the population still believes that sexual harassment is provoked by women. CARE’s research revealed that, until men understand the impact that sexual harassment has on women, their behaviour won’t change.

 

Campaign objective — why #WhyStop?

CARE needed to create mass awareness among Cambodian men of what sexual harassment is, the impact it has on women, and why this behaviour must stop. 

 

Young men were identified as the key target, with social media as the core media channel.  Facebook has a very high penetration in Cambodia — young people aged 13-34 use it as their primary source of information and entertainment. 

 

Because young men listen to other young men, the development of highly shareable user-generated content was key.

 

The #WhyStop campaign strategy

#WhyStop asked young men aged 15-29 to talk with their female friends and family about sexual harassment, then make a short film to explain to their peers why it must stop. The competition outreach took 3 main forms:

 

•  A robust social media strategy via facebook and YouTube

• A nationwide touring Roadshow, visiting schools, universities and youth groups to discuss #WhyStop

• The #WhyStop Short Film Competition and Awards, with subsequent mass media coverage.

 

CARE also secured the endorsement of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport from the campaign’s start. This achieved their future commitment to get the films into schools, as part of an ongoing education tool that positions young people as peer advocates, and the voices for change.

 

What was the response?

• 51,000 fans on facebook— 61% of whom are young men aged 13-34

• 50 schools, universities and youth groups visited by the Roadshow

• 127,000 facebook views of CARE’s films on sexual harassment

• 1,000 young people involved in making 50 original short films

• 350 VIP guests and media at the #WhyStop Short Film Awards on

• 25 November, a red carpet event selected as the official launch for 16 Day of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence

• Mass media coverage of the press conference, with a panel that included the Minister of Women’s Affairs, Hun Many M.P, the Under-Secretary of State for the Ministry of Education, and CARE Cambodia

• 2.2 Million listenership to radio interviews with CARE Cambodia

• 4.7 Million facebook fans of radio networks received supplementary content

• 16 finalist films with 3 phenomenal winners that are already being watched and shared in Cambodia and around the world by CARE, UN Women, UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women and DFAT.

• 11,004 views in 5 days of the 16 finalist films, with over 3,000 votes for the Audience Choice Award facebook poll throughout the 16 Days campaign.

• 1,938,230 unique facebook users engaged with #WhyStop content

• 10,319,066 total facebook reach from 27 July to 10 December 2016

 

That’s awareness — but has it already changed behaviour?

“After the #WhyStop roadshow session, the students know that sexual harassment is not a secret. We need to talk about it, and students here understand they should tell their friends how sexual harassment makes them feel.
Already they are starting to change their behaviours. Before, they had no idea they were making this mistake.”                  - Chhay Sophorn, School Principal of Bun Ray   

                                                     Hun Sen Amporvan Chumnich High School.

 

“Our society must not accept sexual harassment.  It makes women feel humiliated and offended; it can make women feel unsafe when they are on their own in a quiet place.

I believe when the audience watches my film, they will know this is not right. I want to change the behaviour of men who do harass women and those who don't do it yet.”
                                   - Khan Khav, 18, Battambang— #WhyStop Winner, Best Film

 

“I decided to make a short film to join #WhyStop because I want to help stop sexual harassment. I hope my film will send a message to men who want to harass women that it's not right, and they must stop it.”
               - Vy Makara, 19, Battambang — #WhyStop Best Filmmaker under age 20.

 

“In my film, I tell the story of a young woman who commits suicide. But it is not suicide, in fact it is murder. The men around her, they are her killer...I hope the audience will see it and think, are they like them? Are they are part of sexual harassment? It's not just a film competition — #WhyStop can help my community to stop sexual harassment.”
                               - Stephen Row, 26, Phnom Penh — #WhyStop Best Filmmaker over age 20.

 

             Find all films and information at www.care-cambodia.org/whystop-winners