Domestic Abuse Billboard: Woman’s Bruises Disappear When People Stop And Look

A domestic abuse billboard showing a battered and bruised woman is causing a stir on social media. This is different than any other sign out there, as the bruises on the woman disappear as people stop and look at her.

The campaign was started by Women’s Aid — a group of charitable organizations for women and children, working to end domestic abuse — in England. The interactive billboards are very powerful and people have an opinion one way or another.

The woman on the domestic abuse billboard is battered, with nasty bruises, and black and blue eyes. As passersby stop and look at her, the injuries go away. So, how can this be possible?

Facial recognition technology allows the campaign’s creators, ad agency WCRS and media company Ocean Outdoor, to determine how many people are looking at the battered woman on the billboard. According to AdWeek, the more people looking, the faster the bruises go away.

The idea behind the domestic violence billboard campaign is to make people realize that if they notice, they can help the victim. Many times people don’t want to or can’t get involved when they know of a situation such as the one depicted in the poster, because they believe it doesn’t concern them.

Polly Neate, chief executive of Women’s Aid, explained the reasoning behind the campaign to the Huffington Post U.K.

“Often people don’t want to see domestic violence or do something about it because it feels too difficult or they’re worried what they do won’t have any impact. They turn a blind eye because of this, leaving women isolated and making it even harder for them to get help.”

The campaign was launched to coincide with International Women’s Day, which was this past Sunday, and goes along with text messages sent to onlookers thanking them for stopping and paying attention. “Thanks for not turning a blind eye to domestic violence,” the message reads.

Some comments left on AdWeek are against receiving a text via Weve, which encourages people to donate to the cause. The critics argue that this may come out as pushy and have the opposite effect than is intended.

According to a report in the Washington Post, nearly a third of women in the U.S. have been the victims of domestic abuse. Researchers interviewed 12,000 people in 2011 and the shocking results indicated an estimated 22.3 percent of women (and 14 percent of men) have experienced severe physical violence at the hands of an intimate partner in their lifetime.

Would you stop to look at the domestic abuse victim on this billboard?

[Image via Twitter]