Breakthrough India: #shareyourstory with your son:1 (PSA November 2015)

~ Kolla Krishna Madhavi

Conceptualised by Ogilvy & Mather Mumbai, Breakthrough India's the #shareyourstory with your son:1 is a sensitive portrayal of a mother who sees her teenage son eve-teasing a neighbourhood girl. He tries to harass both the young daughter and her mother by throwing flower petals at them from the floor above. The boy's mother sees him doing it and instead of condemning her son directly, she shares her story of harassment with him.

She tells him how she was teased by 3 men on a bike while she was returning home from work the previous day. They had thrown popcorn at her and then followed her, asking her to return the popcorn which was stuck in her hair as it belonged to them. 

The young boy listens carefully to his mother and slowly it dawns on him that his mother is going through the same state as the girl/woman he was targeting. The conversation with his mother helps in changing the boy's behaviour.

More often than not, what starts of as a fun thing to do, ends up with a serious consequence. The person who is playing the prank may not even realise that it is actually harassment of the other person and how gravely their misconduct can impact someone else's life. And the victim has to bear the brunt of the ordeal needlessly.

Conversations around harassment rarely happen at homes. We need to break this silence and cut across generations with open discussions.

A thoughtful short film by the NGO, Breakthrough and supported by United Nations Trust Fund, UN Women and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, it sensitively portrays the delicate relationship between a mother and a son and how deftly the mother handles the situation without directly pointing an accusing finger at her misguided son. A mother is one of the most influential persons in a boy's life and this campaign tries to drive a strong message through the mother.

Go ahead and openly share your experience of harassment with your son! And teach your daughter not to walk away, but to be strong, stand firm and fight for her rights.

Breakthrough India: #shareyourstory with your son: 1

Video Courtesy: Breakthrough India

Video Courtesy: Breakthrough India, Ogilvy & Mather, YouTube and other online resources.

References:

https://www.exchange4media.com/advertising-news/ngo-breakthrough-ogilvy-launch-popcorn-spot-to-curb-eve-teasing-62496.html

https://www.adgully.com/breakthrough-popcorn-campaign-created-and-conceptualised-by-ogilvy-mather-mumbai-63967.html

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