Awareness campaigns against domestic violence in Social Media and public policies as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ibero-America

Abstract

Introduction. In Ibero-America, during the year of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a notable increase in cases of male violence in the domestic sphere, coinciding with the periods of home confinement decreed by governments. Purpose. The text deals with the study of social awareness campaigns disseminated on social networks and the activation of public policies promoted by governments as a result of social demands and the warnings of international bodies. Methodology. A descriptive-qualitative analysis is applied to identify the codification strategies of the advertising message, the integration of new digital languages in its construction, and its application in social media. Results and discussion. The study shows that the creative strategy of the advertising campaigns implemented new symbolic codes and defined slogans of a pedagogical-educational nature with relevant information for the victims and their environment. The data on violence in confinement and the campaigns include this problem in the communication media agenda, seeking to mobilise society to intervene in response to these aggressions, mainly in the domestic setting. Information and communication technologies have become a tool and a space for victim support. Gender-based violence is clearly an important matter for governments, institutions, and feminist groups, from which they try to promote social entrepreneurship initiatives to help victims of gender-based violence.