News | Potsdame/Hamburg, 05/29/2020

#Sicherheim – Campaign Against Domestic Violence

UFA and the agency Die Botschaft have teamed up with the Bertelsmann Content Alliance and the actress Natalia Wörner for a campaign to counteract domestic violence against women. “#sicherheim” is a digital platform with an accompanying media campaign to build public awareness about the issue – at a time when the number of people affected is on a constant rise.

Domestic violence against women is a crime that is perpetrated around the world, and that has been further aggravated by the coronavirus-related lockdowns. The aim of the new “#sicherheim” (Safe Home) initiative is to draw attention to this problem and actively combat violence against women. The campaign has now been jointly launched by UFA and the Berlin agency Die Botschaft together with the Bertelsmann Content Alliance and the actress Natalia Wörner. The project aims to show those affected a way out, and encourage them to actively seek help. According to its initiators, “#sicherheim” also seeks to sharpen public awareness of the issue in general, because in many places domestic violence is still a taboo subject that people tend to look away from. Beyond this, the initiative wants to support organizations and associations that help victims: as part of the campaign and on the sicherheim.org website, initiatives are presented that offer refuge to women from violent households.

The campaign was jointly initiated by the actress Natalia Wörner, UFA CEO Nico Hofmann, UFA producer Marc Lepetit, Tom Daske and Klaus Rehm from the Berlin agency Die Botschaft, and the Bertelsmann Content Alliance. As a partner in the campaign, the Stiftung Stern e. V. foundation, which has many years of experience in the field, will handle the donations management. The campaign is also supported by the German Minister for Women’s Affairs Franziska Giffey, who welcomes this civic engagement. Some of its content is also provided by the Federal Association of Women’s Counselling Centers and Emergency Hotlines for Women (bff), the Central Information Office of Autonomous Women’s Refuges (ZIF), and the Women’s Refuge Coordination Office.

“#sicherheim’ is about giving visibility to a problem that existed long before the coronavirus crisis, and that will continue to exist after it,” say Nico Hofmann and Marc Lepetit in a joint statement. “The project aims to encourage people to actively help, either through personal commitment or in the form of donations. Together with the Stiftung Stern foundation, we have developed a structure that enables us to guarantee that 100 percent of all donations directly go to the organizations and projects that need them.” Julia Jäkel, Chair of the Bertelsmann Content Alliance Board, adds: “Home is only a real home if it is safe. That makes domestic violence one of the most insidious evils of our society. The Bertelsmann Content Alliance supports ‘#sicherheim’’ out of a deep conviction, and uses its collective media power reaching 99 percent of all people in Germany to do so.”