I fully support the Government’s new awareness campaign on sexual harassment and sexual violence.
The media campaign called No Excuses has been launched by my colleague, the Minister for Justice and Equality Charlie Flanagan.
The ad campaign was framed in consultation with a number of NGOs and arises from commitments in the Second National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence.
Research has shown that Ireland suffers from disturbingly high levels of sexual harassment and sexual violence.
This campaign is designed to help tackle the problem through highlighting and helping people to recognise these behaviours and the many precursors to them. They call on all of us to reflect on our own reactions and to stop excusing sexual harassment and sexual violence.
The initial ads feature both male and female perpetrators and victims.The ads are entitled Does Ireland Have A Problem and Let’s Stop Excusing.
This is a high impact media campaign to reach a national audience featuring TV, cinema, radio, outdoor, social and digital advertising. The campaign will run for three years up to 2021 with initial TV ads broadcasting from yesterday Friday May 10.
More details are available on the campaign website www.gov.ie/noexcuses where the ads can be viewed.