The Netherlands is seen as one of the forerunners of sexual freedom and education. But the possibilities of digital media create new challenges. As many as 30% of young people have to deal with shame-sexting (non-consensual exposure of sexually-oriented apps and photos) . Leading to serious consequences such as PTSD, anxiety disorders, suicidal thoughts and the feeling of losing one's identity. Yet only 5% of victims seek help. The shame that victims feel after shame-sexting is simply too great. Victim-blaming and shaming further exacerbates this sense of shame. In order for Victim Support Netherlands to help with specialised personal care we needed to open the conversation with young people on this delicate issue. Because talking is the first step to recovery.

By interviewing victims we gained insight into the loss of identity that they had experienced. Shame-names and negative labels stuck to the victims, leading them to believe that this is who they really are. We infused this new insight with the power of Western youth culture: by turning a popular personal identity symbol - the name necklace - into ‘unbearable chains’. With names like "Dirty Girl", "Whore of The City" and "Filthy Slut” - this in-your-face jewelry was a provocative conversation starter. By telling their stories, victims were able to rid themselves of these imposed identities, and say finally goodbye to their unbearable chains. Showing other victims they are not alone, and calling upon them to also get rid of their shame-names. Because never again should a shame-name define who you are.

How do you reach young people that are not receptive to being lectured? Least of all by semi-governmental organizations. We used four insights to breach this barrier.

(1) When talking about sexting, adults mainly focus on highlighting the negative aspects. But for young people, this is outdated; they live in a world where sexting is seen as a normal way to explore and express their sexuality.

(2) Culture is the gateway to connection. To engage youngsters in conversation we needed to connect on their terms. From Beyoncé to Maan (Dutch pop star): these icons all wear a name necklace - a powerful cultural symbol adopted by young people to express their identity.

(3) To reach young people we needed to be where they are.

(4) People have a tendency to avoid in-depth conversation on delicate subjects like sexuality. So there was a need for an approach that’s impossible to ignore.

For once, we were not going to talk about shame-sexting victims. In our campaign, they were the ones doing the talking. Using the unbearable necklace as the conversation starter.

The campaign kicked off with a PR-offensive on the day of the verdict of one of the most famous shame-sexting cases worldwide. The case of Amanda Todd in which a Dutch man was convicted. We leveraged this international momentum to increase the impact of our campaign locally.

Following the PR kick-off and the ensuing conversation it started, we engaged young people with online videos and social posts from our victims on social channels like Instagram and Tiktok. Furthermore, during the school holidays, the campaign video was seen in cinemas throughout the Netherlands, and the message was spread at that one place where young people talk the most: school.

The first week of the campaign dominated the national news. The primetime public news opened with the item on the day of the launch; Creating a national conversation: with the story picked up by 100+ newspapers, lifestyle magazines and online platforms.

-ROI of 1:5 was realised. A fivefold increase in our media investment by and exceeding the target by +25%

-54.000.000 media impressions.

-An increase of +9,523% was realised on social engagement (engaged accounts). Almost 100 times more engaged accounts than before the campaign.

-A sixty-three-fold increase in traffic to the sexting online service page. That's an increase of +6,264%.

-Traffic to the online service page processing more than doubled (+146%).

To this day, we see our three victims featured in news items, programs and magazines: they have become true ambassadors of this topic.