DALLAS The Texas Council on Family Violence and Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott have launched a second phase of the domestic violence campaign, “Break the silence. Make the call,” the organization said.
Released statewide last Tuesday, the public awareness effort targets family, friends and co-workers of domestic violence survivors, the TCFV said. With a focus of publicizing the group’s programs, services and hotline, the second phase is a continuation of the bilingual campaign that first broke in October 2002 and targeted domestic violence victims.
“The Phone Call” TV spot opens with a man pacing the floor in his living room. As he stares at a picture of a woman, he repeatedly picks up the telephone and puts it back down. When he finally makes his call, he says, “Yes. I’ve got a friend and I think she’s being abused.” A voiceover then says, “Afraid to get involved? Imagine how she feels. Break the silence. Make the call. All calls are anonymous.”
Vollmer Public Relations has been handling public relations duties for the TCFV since June 2002, the agency said. The Austin, Texas, shop recruited local partners BRSG Advertising and Cinco Media Communications to help create the second phase of the campaign, which includes bilingual print ads, and two radio and two TV PSAs in English and Spanish.
“Break the silence” is scheduled to air through August 2005, with the intent of running longer with additional support, the organization said. In 2002, Austin-based TCFV received a $2 million grant from the Attorney General’s office, which has funded both phases of the campaign.
In its inaugural month, phase one of the campaign resulted in a 69 percent increase in English-language calls and a 93 percent gain in Spanish-language calls from Texas to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, according to the TCFV.
Texas Continues Anti-Violence Campaign
