For Immediate Release: December 9, 2019
Contact: media@nomore.org
New Verbal Abuse Awareness Campaign Launched by NO MORE, National Resource Center on Domestic Violence
Effort includes new website, resources and Amazon Alexa pledge
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Psychological violence is estimated to be the most common form of intimate partner violence in the United States and Europe, affecting 35-49% of men and women. The research on verbal abuse is limited, however, in part because so many cases go unreported. Today, NO MORE and the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRCDV) launched #NOMOREVerbalAbuse, an effort to raise awareness about verbal abuse and provide resources for individuals in need. Creative work on the campaign was provided pro bono by MRM//McCann.
“We are grateful to our partners for joining us in creating this innovative effort to raise awareness about verbal abuse,” said Pamela Zaballa, Global Executive Director of NO MORE, which is dedicated to ending domestic violence and sexual assault by increasing awareness, inspiring action, and fueling culture change globally. “Verbal abuse is so often unidentified that some survivors don’t even realize it is occurring until it escalates. We will continue to stand with survivors, elevate this issue, and help men and women say NO MORE to this kind of abuse.”
“Verbal abuse IS domestic violence. It causes invisible scars with potential lifetime impact,” said Arlene Vassell, Vice President of Programs, Prevention & Social Change for NRCDV. “We are proud to join NO MORE in bringing visibility to this survivor experience, one that is so common, yet so often discounted. We want to validate this experience and bring it out of the shadows.”
Verbal abuse refers to the ways in which a person uses their words to cause harm. It is one tactic in a range of deliberate behaviors that a person may use to gain and maintain power and control over another in an intimate relationship. Verbal abuse is one aspect of psychological abuse, and is characterized by insults, name-calling, put-downs, criticizing, and other demeaning language designed to bully, intimidate, frighten, humiliate, degrade and diminish the victim’s self-worth and sense of safety.
Today’s launch includes the NOMOREVerbalAbuse.org website, which provides information about verbal abuse, how to recognize healthy and unhealthy relationships, survivor stories, and a toolkit with shareable resources. It also includes a new #NOMOREVerbalAbuse Pledge, which encourages visitors to join the movement to raise awareness and prevent verbal abuse.
In addition, Amazon’s Alexa now features the opportunity for supporters to “Register Their Voice” against verbal abuse using their devices.
To open, a user says “Alexa, open NO MORE”
Alexa then says “Hi – welcome to NO MORE. Would you like to register your voice against verbal abuse?”
Answer: “Yes”
Alexa says “That’s great, thank you. You are the XXXth voice against verbal abuse. Together we can end verbal abuse once and for all.”
The awareness effort is part of 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, an annual international campaign that kicked off on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs until December 10, International Human Rights Day.
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About NO MORE: NO MORE is dedicated to ending domestic violence and sexual assault by increasing awareness, inspiring action, and fueling culture change. Launched in 2013, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit provides public awareness campaigns, marketing tools, and communications resources for anti-violence organizations, large and small. Encouraging everyone – women and men, youth and adults, from all walks of life – to be part of the solution, NO MORE sparks national and international grassroots activism. NO MORE brings together the largest coalition of advocacy groups, service providers, governmental agencies, major corporations, universities, communities and individuals, all under a common brand and a unifying symbol in support of a world free of violence.
About NRCDV: The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence celebrates 25 years of strengthening the capacity of programs responding to domestic violence survivors and their families by promoting effective programs, policies, research and engagement in prevention. Established with funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), NRCDV’s mission is to strengthen and transform efforts to end domestic violence. NRCDV is proud to collaborate with other activists and organizations committed to gender, racial, economic and social justice. NRCDV is committed to leading boldly in centering and amplifying the voices of traditionally marginalized communities in their work to attain safe and thriving communities for all.
About MRM McCann: MRM//McCann is a leading data science, technology innovation and creatively driven relationship marketing agency that helps brands grow meaningful relationships with people. The agency leverages the power of creativity, the beauty of data, the magic of technology and the impact of connections to drive business results. MRM//McCann is part of the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG) and a lead agency in the McCann Worldgroup network, with 40-plus offices across North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific.
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