New campaign to raise awareness of violence against women

The Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) launched a three-year campaign on Monday to help individuals take steps to prevent violence against women.

The We Can! campaign aims to raise awareness on domestic violence through volunteers who spread the message, and through workshops or activities. The campaign is part of a global one that gets individuals to pledge that they will not tolerate violence against women. Singapore is the 16th country to launch it.

A survey released by Aware recently found that eight in 10 people will not intervene if they know that a friend or relative was being abused by a partner mainly because they do not know how to help. The survey was conducted among over 1,300 respondents last year.

Said Aware executive director Corinna Lim said: "Domestic violence is not a private matter. The campaign encourages bystanders to see violence as their concern and emboldens them to take action."

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.