YWCA wanted to raise awareness around the issue of violence against women.

We decided to focus on the violence in entertainment as a way of showing that the problem is part of our culture. The result was three highly offensive social videos made with clips from: the popular TV show “Family Guy”, a Kanye West music video, and the ultra violent video game Grand Theft Auto. The campaign also included radio and posters/post featuring our big red #notokay.

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The #NotOkay campaign for YWCA received millions of media impressions—it made the evening news, Fast Company and the Huffington Post. And it found support across the country--from the union halls to Parliament Hill.

Canada is progressive by world standards. Women enjoy equal rights. It’s easy to think that they’re not vulnerable to violence. But statistics show half of all Canadian women experience physical or sexual violence.

In the past year there have been many high profile and shocking examples of violence against women. Always, it involves a football player or mixed martial arts fighter. So, it is too easy to dismiss the issue as one that happens rarely. Or to think the violence takes place in someone else’s home. We wanted to end the complacency. Help people see that abuse against women is all around us. Everyday. That it is embedded in our culture.

YWCA believes women must take leadership in shaping society's direction in order to achieve equity and equality. Something that is difficult to do when you are so frequently represented as a punching bag.

Additional Information:

YWCA Canada is the country’s oldest largest women's multi-service organization. YWCA is the largest national provider of shelter to women, serving 25,000 women, children and teen girls including 6,000 fleeing domestic violence each year.