The 'Bell Bajao' campaign has achieved significant recognition and impact in addressing domestic violence, winning 25 awards and reaching over 130 million people through media efforts. The campaign has been adapted in several countries and has resulted in increased engagement and awareness among youth, showing improved attitudes towards community intervention and legal action against domestic violence. Notable changes are tracked through research, indicating a rise in knowledge of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act and a shift in societal perceptions regarding domestic violence.

1. Awards and Recognition
•The Bell Bejao campaign has till date won 25 awards including two Silver Lions
( Advertising and film) at Cannes.
•The social media efforts have translated into 2 case studies for India Social and
Tactical Technology Collective and has been honoured as one of the thirty youth
icons of South Asia by Kindle Magazine.
•Bell- Bajao has been adapted in the following countries: Pakistan, Vietnam, China
and released in Atlanta and Mexico

2. Media impact
•The traditional mass media campaign reached out to more than 130 million and 110
million in two phases (Television Audience Monitoring, Mindshare).
•Breakthrough was able to leverage INR 30 million worth of media engagement whereby
popular soap operas and game shows on TV carried the message on domestic violence and
radio jockeys talked and promoted the issue in their programmes.
•Press publicity worth INR 20 million was generated which included coverage, articles,
opinion pieces and editorials on the issue.
•Social /online media strategies generated a huge amount of response and were used to create
state and regional level networks among youth, youth-based organisations and community-
based organisations.
oThe website registered more than a million visits over the period.
oThe Bell Bajao! blog continues to remain an interactive and dynamic space and receives
atleast 2 posts a week from users and has an archive of over 1000 blogs.
oThe new media gave the campaign international exposure and it has since been
successfully replicated in China and Pakistan.
oBreakthrough will be carrying out complete programmes in Nepal and Bangladesh with
pilot interventions.

3. Media impact
•There is an increase in engagement of youth in urban and peri-urban areas through
social media and media advocacy. Till date, the Bell Bajao! website (
www.bellbajao.org) on an average has over 25,000 visitors per month, around 3799
likes on Facebook profile and cause page, over 2700 followers on Twitter.
•There is an increase in the media coverage post the sensitization of journalists in TV,
radio and print, both at the national and regional level, which is estimated to be
worth INR 20 million.
•Media engagements with leading television channels have resulted in message on
DV being incorporated in popular soap operas and game show. Radio jockeys have
talked about the issue during the video van movement. The endorsement was of the
value of INR8.5 million.

4. Community Mobilization impact
The video van travelled across 11 districts of 2 intervention states and 2 metros of
Delhi and Mumbai, over 200 days, covering approximately 25000 kms and
reaching out to over 7.5 million people from 2008-11.
The impact created-
oAlmost 40% have acknowledged that violence is wrong.
o47% of respondents have mentioned the need for community action against
violence.
o36% of the respondents agreed on the need for counselling the perpetrator
while 38% agreed on counselling the perpetrator and victim together.
oPartners reported a 10-15% increase in case load and there was a
subsequent demand in increase for redressal services.
Source: Video van report

5. Leadership development
Direct and Indirect reach- more than 25000
oResearch findings indicate that more than 65% of respondents have attributed their increased
knowledge to NGO and NGO workers. (CMS, 2010). For instance, 400 marginalised youths in the
Koppal district in Karnataka are now building awareness especially among men and boys on
linkage between maternal mortality and domestic violence, which was not previously recognised
in the community.
oThere is an increase of 10-15% case load and a demand for redressal services, as reported by
local partners. The partners on the ground have been able to provide immediate follow-up and
effective response to someone seeking support, which has strengthened the creation of an
enabling environment for protection of rights.
oBreakthrough has supported the institutionalisation within community-based organisation for
women to become change agents and defined ways to access rights and reduce violence.
Breakthrough has facilitated the setting up of a Nari Adalat (Women’s Court) in Tumkur,
Karnataka to facilitate community mediation for cases of domestic violence and supported by
local administration including the office of the Mayor and Police Commissioner.

6. Partnerships
Partnerships have been developed by Breakthrough at the:
•National level- Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD)
•State level- Mahila Kalyan Vibhag, State bodies of National Institute of Public
Cooperation and Child Development
•District level: Protection Officers, District Megistrate
•Local level- NGOs, CBOs, Gram panchyat
oThe support received probono from MWCD and is estimated to be worth INR
150 million.
oAdvertising Agency, Ogilvy gave probono support worth INR 15 million for the
creative of the PSA.
oSupport was also received from Mindshare to track media using Television
Audience Monitoring (TAM).
oAll the media channels which aired the campaign offered discounted rates.
oWe have partnered with over 100 CBOs/NGOs to implement the project at
various levels.

7. Partnerships
•Partnership with the Government of India, Ministry of Women & Child Development has
resulted in Breakthrough training approximately 500 Protection Officers (PO), Police, service
providers and Civil Society Organisations in both UP and Karnataka on gender, human rights
and Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 (PWDVA) through a partnership
with National Commission for Women (NCW).
•Breakthrough has trained 150 Master Trainers in Karnataka state as part of the Sarva
Shiksha Abhiyan which is the Government of India’s flagship programme for universal
education for all. Breakthrough curriculum on gender, sexuality and rights has been
incorporated in all 27 districts of the state and reached around 50,000 adoloscent girls.
•Grassroots organisations like the Family Planning Association of India (FPAI) from UP has
now incorporated gender and women’s rights into their core approach and methodology.
CARDTS has incorporated gender policy into their organization mandate.
•Breakthrough advocacy strategy includes inviting partners to a common platform as well as
leveraging existing networks like the Aman Network (a national network of organisations
with 36 partners working on DV and providing redressal services).

8. Involvement with policy makers
Breakthrough will also continue to work with policy makers in order to establish gender as a
priority concern and ensuring equitable development of men and women. A recent
development has been adoption of the Breakthrough curriculum on gender by the Lal Bahadur
Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie, the premier training
institute for senior Civil Servants. Government officials are also being trained through National
Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD) across India and State
Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (SIPCCD) for effective implementation
of the PWDVA.

9. Research Findings
Breakthrough initiated the “Bell Bajao”, campaign in 2008-11 urging people,
specifically men and boys to take action against domestic violence. The
campaign has been sustained over 4 years. During this period, baseline,
midline and endline research to track results and impact was done by the
Centre for Media Studies (CMS) and International Centre for Research on
Women (ICRW).

10. What is domestic violence and its types
FORMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Any Form of Violence
Economic Deprivation
Sexual Abuse
Physical Abuse
Verbal Abuse
•There is an increase in knowledge about the kinds of violence, specially sexual
violence and economic deprivation in both the states, but more so in UP specially
among the exposed groups
•Sexual violence-13% exposed vs 8% non exposed
•Economic deprivation -12% exposed vs 6.2% non exposed
Source; International Centre for Research on Women( ICRW), 2009-2011

11. Knowledge on PWDV Act 2005 and its benefits
Have heard about Protection of Women from Domestic
Violence Act, 2005 - Yes
18
16 16.5
14 14.8
12 13.1
10
8
6
4 4.5
3.4
2
2.2
0
Male Female Total
Baseline End line
CMS, 2007-2010 ICRW, 2009-2011
There is an improvement in knowledge about PWDV Act among males and females and post
Bell Bajao intervention. It was observed that when this law was passed, many organizations
promoted it through various media but the momentum soon vained off and was not
sustained.
Breakthrough efforts have sustained.

12. Knowledge on PWDV Act 2005 and its benefits
• There is an improvement in knowledge about Protection of Women against
Domestic Violence Act, 2005 (PWDVA) and it has sustained over the project
period among both males and females.
– Data over a period of time, 2008-2011, has shown that the knowledge has
increased from Baseline (3.4%) to Endline (15%).
– The Baseline survey carried out in 2009 by ICRW showed a tremendous
growth in knowledge on the law which can be attributed to many
organizations promoting it simultaneously through various media, but the
momentum soon waned off. The Breakthrough intervention has managed
to continue to work on the issue in the same area on sustained basis.
– Those who are exposed to the intervention are showing far more increase
in knowledge about the law than the non exposed groups.

13. Changing attitudes
The lasting effectiveness of the Bell Bajao! campaign seen over 4 years is that DV is
not seen as a private issue and that communities can intervene.
•CMS findings have shown that around 89% of the respondents (out of which 91%
are men and 87% women) wanted community to intervene in case of a husband
abusing his wife physically, mentally or emotionally.
•In 2011, the ICRW exposed vs not exposed groups findings have shown a positive
trend among the exposed in both the states where respondents have mentioned
that community should intervene and women should take legal action in case of
violence. The data also reflected an increase in opting for lodging FIR/court case or
police and decrease in percentage of remaining silent if one is facing violence.

14. Changing attitudes
If a husband abuses his wife (physical/verbal/emotional) the community
should intervene
Male Female Total Significance
level
Yes Yes Yes
Baseline 80.1 73.6 76.9 .000
End line 90.6 87.3 88.9
CMS, 2007-2010
The conventional perception that abusing a wife falls within the domain of a
family and not an external concern, is weaning away.

15. Changing attitudes
Indicators of Attitudes Karnataka Uttar Pradesh
In case of Domestic Not Expose
Violence Not exposed Exposed exposed d
Community should
intervene 74 77 53.4 62.5
Women should take legal
action 61 69 65 76
Go to Court/lawyer 25 28.4 24 27
Remain silent 26 23 25 13
ICRW, 2009-2011

16. Changing attitudes
•The number of women see no reason to feel ashamed if they seek legal
recourse which has increased from 74% to 82%. (CMS, 2010)
•There is a significant decrease in justification of violence in both states
for cases of she does not cook food properly, denies sex or does
something without husbands permission. (ICRW, 2011)

17. What are the barriers in intervening
Options suggested:
domestic violence
1.It is nobody’s business
2.Women should remain silent
3.Male family member should intervene
4.Other family member should intervene
ICRW, 2009-2011
In case of domestic
violence Karnataka Uttar Pradesh
Not
exposed Exposed Not exposed Exposed
Community should
intervene 74.2 77.2 53.4 62.5 *
Women should take legal
action* 61.2 68.7 65.8 75.7
Significant differences were seen in the perception of the respondents supporting the fact that women
should take legal action in both states but the need for community intervention was highlighted
significantly only in UP

18. Decision making
Indicator Baseline Endline
Whether to have sex 80.2% 86.6%
Decision about having number of children 79.3% 88.5%
Adopting family planning methods 72.7% 83.9%
Whether to use condom 43.9% 74.2%
A significant improvement has been seen in joint decision making from the baseline to
endline, which demonstrates that equality between men and women has actually
improved. A majority agreed that the decision on whether to have sex, adopting family
planning methods, using condoms and number of children to have were taken by both
husband and wife and obtaining health care for self as well as for spouse.
(CMS, 2010).

19. Call for action
There is an increase in the public dialogue on issue around DV, right to
residence, and safe sex.
Domestic Violence: 31.5% in the baseline to 54% in the endline.
Safe sex: 23% in the baseline to to 32.5% in the endline.
Rights of HIV positive people from 5.3% to 9%
Stigma and discrimination faced by HIV positive people from 6.3% to
12.5%.

20. Call for action
Increased knowledge has translated into increased call for action, where around 53%
from exposed groups in UP have mentioned that they have taken action to stop
violence than 41% from non-exposed group. Similarly, in Karnataka around 55% are
from exposed groups and 48% from non-exposed groups (ICRW, 2011).
The need to take action when faced with a situation of violence for self or any other is
amply demonstrated by a number of case stories from the ground.
The stories shared by people are creative variations on the Bell Bajao! concept and
include a variety of excuses for interruption ranging from snakes, runaway dog, asking
for tea leaves to false phone-calls and asking for directions, especially by young people
like Anamika, Sarita, Pinky and Hina.

21. Success stories
•“My sister( Asha Rani) told me about the Bell Bajao campaign after returning from a
training conducted by Breakthrough . I loved the idea. One day , I heard noises of a
couple in my neighbourhood. I instantly remembered Bell Bajao and I screamed
“Snake Snake”…listening to my voice, the husband stopped beating his wife and
started looking for the snake. I felt so happy that I had stopped violence”. Rajan,
brother of Asha Rani, Tumkur, Karnataka, India
•“One day I heard noises of fighting from one of the houses in my neighbourhood. I
gathered courage to knock on the door of that house and told the woman that
somebody had called her on our phone and it was on hold and that she need to take
the call urgently. When the woman came to the house I pretended that there was a
network problem and that the caller must have disconnected the call. So I managed
to stop violence. ”. Anuradha, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
•“One day I heard noises of fighting from one of the houses in my neighbourhood. I
went up to the house and knocked the door. I told the woman that her mother in law
was calling her and she was standing near the shop to buy something. When the
woman reached the shop and saw no one, I told her that her mother in law must
have left after waiting for awhile. ” Mohini, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.

22. Success stories
“ I belong to the lower middle class family and presently pursuing Bachelors of Arts,
1st year (under graduate course). One day in my neighbourhood, I heard sounds of a
man beating his wife. I thought of an excuse and I let my dog loose. However, the dog
entered another house, but I went ahead and rung the doorbell of that particular
house. I went inside the house and pretended to search for my dog. Then I went next
door to fetch my dog. Since then I have not hear any sound of violence from that
house. ” Pinky, kanpur, Uttar Pradesh
“I’m Sarita, 2nd year student of Bachelors of Art (under graduate course). I have
attended a Breakthrough training and saw the Bell Bajao campaign. One day I heard
noises of fighting from one of the houses in my neighbourhood. I gathered courage to
knock on the door of that house and ask for tea leaves. ” Sarita, Kanpur, Uttar
Pradesh

23. Stories of change
A notable trend which has been observed in the MSCT research is a change, which is unique
and ranges from a small subtle shift in the attitude or ability of an individual to a significant
and visible impact on a situation where a person, a family or a community have demanded
and secured their rights / justice.
•Manjula from Tumkur, Karnataka, learnt from a Breakthrough workshop that it was fine for
her to smile, laugh and play with her children and be happy.
•Hareesh, a young boy from Tumkur, always wanted to try his hand at cooking but did not due
to preconceived notions of gender roles but after attending a Breakthrough workshop he
revisited notions of gender roles leading him to not only cook meals but serve it to his friends.
•The ‘Water Story” reflects the collective action taken by women in the community in a village in
Tumkur district. Led by Jayamma, women Self Help Groups demanded and got clean water and
water tanks from the local Panchayat.
•For Giriraj Meti of Yelamgeri in Koppal, Karnataka, change began with himself with a change
in his attitude, perception, own behaviour towards his own family. This has been followed by his
active intervention in the lives of neighbours and the community, touching on issues of girl child
education and child marriage. He and his friends have started Thaythana Rakshana Vedike
(TRV) a village level forum on safe motherhood..

24. Success stories
•Rajwati of Kumhrava village in UP got help from a Rights Advocate to deal with her
in-laws, particularly her abusive brother-in-law and husband. The advocate spoke to
all members of the family and appraised them of the fact that the abuse of Rajwati was
under a scanner and violating legal provisions that protect women from DV.
•Kalawati, a young widow in UP lost her job as a cook in the nearby school canteen.
She was shunned by her community as she was HIV positive. Anita, a Breakthrough
trainer conducted a continuous dialogue with the school authorities, teachers, village
head and the community around the issue. As a result of this multi point intervention,
Kalawati was reinstated back into her job and was able to support herself and her two
daughters.
•In a village of Karnataka, a mother along with support from the community women
was able to deal with the abuse her daughter was facing in her marital home. The
community took collective action to negotiate peace and safety for the daughter in her
marriage.

25. Stories of change
•Leena D’Silva who ‘got a bus stop’, Jayamma and the women of Gubbi in Tumkur who got their
clean water, Kamini who organised action in her slum community against the menace posed by the
local drunkard, Kalavathi of Koppal, now working as a community motivator with the Gender and
Health Equity project (GHE) engaging with doctors and other professionals on equal terms –are all
examples of stories that reflect impact and improvement in the status of women as active
participants in the citizenship process.
•Hanumantha, a young farmer, stereotypical male, with little to no sensitivity or empathy for
women, their lives and their concerns has worked on a campaign for safe motherhood after being
exposed to Breakthrough training. Other stories showing similar change are those of Giriraj,
Kumaranayak, Mariswamy, Suresh, Allah Bakshi and many others. (MSCT)

26. Challenges
•Individual level:
Research findings for both states in the first phase have shown a positive change in
the attitude of men towards a woman seeking legal action in case of violence.
However, in the second phase there is a regression (CMS & ICRW). Both sets of
data throw light on a specific indicator on shame “If a woman is facing domestic
violence and she is taking legal action, she is bringing shame to the family”.
•In Phase 1, UP recorded a decrease from 54% to 26% and Karnataka from
35% to 8%, in Phase 2, there is a sharp increase in sense of shame, specially
among males in both states. In Dakshin Kannada and Gulberga, Karnataka, it
has increased from 28% to 71% and 48% to 82% respectively and in UP,
specially in Varanasi, it has increased from 19% to 62%. This dramatic shift
can be attributed to men feeling threatened and further emphasizes the need
to work with men and boys in a sustained manner.

27. Challenges
•Community level:
There are encouraging signs and some communities have taken initiative, for
instance the formation of Nari Adalat in Koppal, which demonstrate how
communities have started thinking for themselves and taking ownership of the
campaign. However, to be more sustainable at the community level, the effective
change makers will have to be identified and linkages built among all the
stakeholders.
Greater advocacy and push is required for individual and collective action through
formation of stronger networks at the community level.

28. Challenges
•Organisational level:
While Breakthrough has trained a large number of individuals at the grass root
level and individual capacities have been built, for the work to have optimum
impact, we realise that unless the methodology and approach is adopted at an
organisational level, replication and sustainability will be difficult.
Some organisations like Sahbhagi Shikshan Kendra in Varanasi have incorporated
the Breakthrough methodology in their mandate but for a majority of
organisations addressing gender issues are not part of their mandate. At times,
organisations are also constrained financially to carry out the activities.

29. Challenges
•Institutional level:
Breakthrough has been successful in putting gender issues on the Government
agenda. It has developed partnerships with various ministries and has built their
capacities around the issue. However, implementation and creating an effective
service delivery mechanism continues to be a challenge and follow-through on
court awards and judgements and compensation pose another set of issues. These
gaps are key areas that require investment and focused attention, energy and
resources to improve the actual ‘delivery’ of justice into the hands of the person
fighting for it.

30. Ongoing and Future plans
Breakthrough has been able to secure grants for continuation of the activities of the MDG3
project. The learning’s from the MDG3 project on issue of DV/VAW and the different
strategies/methodology are now being extended with pilot intervention to our neighbouring
countries.
•A grant from FLOW will support the programme in Nepal.
•Grants from the United Nations Trust Fund (UNTF) and Oxfam Novib will support
Bangladesh. We will carry out capacity building of NGOs in Pakistan, Cambodia, Myanmar
and Afghanistan on the Breakthrough methodology to run campaigns and scale up the issue.
•We will be launching a campaign against Early Marriage in Bihar and Jharkhand and this is
being supported by grants from the OAK Foundation and Ford Foundations.
•We have been able to secure a research grant from UNFPA for the project on Sex Selective
Elimination.
•Proposals are in the pipeline to build on the ground implementation projects for sex
selection. Continuous efforts are being made for raising funds for more programmes and
geographies. Implementation Partners have been identified in China (Half the Sky), Malaysia
(Women’s aid Organisation) and Denmark (LOKK) who have evinced interest in the Bell
Bajao! campaign and are raising funds for implementation of the same.

31. Research and Development
Breakthrough is developing a simple, participatory and user friendly online
knowledge sharing platform with toolkits and modules for two distinct groups.
•The first group is peer NGOs/CBOs who can strengthen their programmes on
VAW
•The second group will be individuals who will become change agents and take
positive action.
Efforts are on to raise funds for taking the 360 degree learnings from the ground and
developing a web based and mobile curriculum application.