Launches of radio ads as part of ‘No Excuses’ national awareness campaign on sexual harassment and sexual violence (22/5/19)

Department of Justice and Equality launches radio ads as part of ‘No Excuses’ national awareness campaign on sexual harassment and sexual violence

Three radio ads to air nationwide from today 

‘No Excuses’ campaign will run for 3 years up to 2021. 

The Department for Justice and Equality has today launched three new radio ads as part of ‘No Excuses’, the major national awareness campaign on sexual harassment and sexual violence launched by Minister for Justice and Equality, Charlie Flanagan TD, on Thursday 9 May 2019.

Each of the ads features an example of sexual harassment or sexual violence accompanied by some of the excuses which people often use to excuse such behaviour when they see it.

‘House Party’ features an attempt to coerce a partner into unwanted sexual activity, ‘Gym’ describes an attempt to expose someone in a locker room, while ‘Closing Time’ features an attempt to prey on someone not in a position to give consent. The descriptions of each scene are provided by the actors Laura O’Shea, Killian Coyle and Jordanne Jones respectively while the final voice over in each is provided by spoken word artist Stephen James Smith.

Speaking at the launch of the ‘No Excuses’ campaign, Minister Flanagan said: “Research has shown that Ireland suffers from disturbingly high levels of sexual harassment and sexual violence. These ads highlight and help people recognise these behaviours and the many precursors to them. They call on us to reflect on and question our own reactions and to stop excusing sexual harassment and sexual violence.  We want the campaign to provoke us all to ask: ‘Just what is our attitude to sexual harassment and sexual violence? Are we tolerating it? Are we excusing it?’ And if we are, even if we are doing so only at the lower stages, are we facilitating a culture in which it is really hard for victims to be heard, to be helped, to be supported.”

The campaign, which also features TV, cinema, outdoor, social and digital advertising is being run by Cosc – the National Office for the Prevention of Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence, which is part of the Department of Justice and Equality. The campaign is part of the Second National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence 2016-2021. ‘No Excuses’ follows the domestic violence awareness campaign ‘whatwouldyoudo?’ which ran for three years from 2016 to 2018.

Funding of €950,000 has been secured to run the campaign in 2019. In addition, funding of €171,000 has been awarded under the Dormant Accounts Fund to localise the campaign message. It is intended, subject to the necessary funding being made available, that the campaign will continue and evolve for 3 years up to 2021. 

The ads also direct viewers to the campaign website gov.ie/noexcuses. The website provides further information as well as advice on how to help in such situations. 

Media organisation are welcome to use any of the ads in any pieces which they may wish to run on the campaign. They are available at the following links: 

Radio 30 second ads

House Party - https://soundcloud.com/user-529324454/dje-sexual-violence-awareness

Gym - https://soundcloud.com/user-529324454/dje-sexual-violence

Closing Time - https://soundcloud.com/user-529324454/dje-sexual-violence-1

TV 60 Second ads 

‘Does Ireland have a problem? https://youtu.be/7-dObP2ms20 (initial launch ad)

‘Let’s stop excusing’ https://youtu.be/P9_MheuRxPM (Main ad)

TV 20 Second Ads

Closing Time: https://youtu.be/U4hQciY86WU

Night Out:  https://youtu.be/_q-oYkq-Tv0

The Office:  https://youtu.be/KolxydttsWI