The Always Here sexual violence campaign has been developed to inform and reassure victims/survivors of sexual violence that help is always available when they are ready to reach out for support. The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness of pathways to safety and supports available to victims of sexual violence.

Always Here, now led by Cuan, the dedicated DSGBV Agency, is a key action of the Protection Pillar of the Third National Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence Strategy and is intended to speak directly to victims/survivors of sexual violence to encourage and empower them to reach out for help and support when they are ready.

The sexual violence stream will run across a range of media such as TV, national and local radio, digital and social media, and a major out-of-home campaign on billboards and digital screens throughout Ireland.

Central to the Always Here campaign is the message that should someone want to take that difficult step to seek help, from either state agencies such as An Garda Síochána and the Courts Service, state services such as Sexual Assault Treatment Units (SATUs), or from any of the vital organisations in the community and voluntary sector, that they will be listened to, they will be taken seriously and they will be given the support that they need.

The TV advert for the campaign tells the story of a victim/survivor of sexual abuse and her journey towards hope and healing. It depicts the internal experience of many victims/survivors with an affecting external representation of these feelings. By representing this experience, we hope to offer understanding and validation to victims/survivors while connecting with those who are going through a similar experience and offer them hope and positive action.

The advert focuses on ‘Sive’, a victim/survivor of sexual violence, who to all intents seems to be living a very normal life. She goes to work, the gym, meets her friends except the world around her will appear on screen blurred and distorted; to represent her isolation and disconnection due to what has happened to her. When a friend reaches out to ask her if she is ok, the friend’s face emerges from the blur. Encouraged by this moment of connection and compassion, Sive is shown to start her road to recovery by reaching out to call a sexual violence service.

The advert finishes with a voice over saying “if you are a victim of sexual violence, support is always here”. The end frame encourages people to visit Alwayshere.ie or contact An Garda Síochána.

Cuan’s intention is that the victim-survivor experience is at the heart of our campaigns. The creative concept for the campaign went through a rigorous consultation process where the proposed approach, imagery and messaging was tested in separate focus groups of the general public to understand how it would be interpreted and understood by people. A further focus group was held populated with sexual violence survivors in a safe space to gain knowledge on their unique perception of the concepts.

Following that Cuan worked closely with our Campaigns Advisory Committee including front line service providers on the development of the various creative assets for this campaign. Members of the Campaign Advisory Group that were part of this process include representatives from: Women’s Aid, Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, Men’s Aid, Men’s Development Network among others.

Furthermore Cuan held targeted consultation with One in Four and DRCC on the detail of the radio assets specifically to ensure the victim-survivors experiences portrayed in the assets were realistic but not triggering. The insights of the services who support victims-survivors day to day were invaluable to the creative process.

Assets include two 30” TV adverts, one recorded in English and one in Irish that will be broadcast across all major TV channels and on Video on Demand Services such as YouTube and the RTE Player. From this, a whole suite of cut down versions of both ads have been developed for use on all major social media channels.

Two radio and digital audio adverts will accompany the campaign, which will include one female focused sexual violence ad and one male focused sexual violence ad.