Fighting gender-based violence

During the course of this project in the reception centers, numerous problems of violence came to light, such as harassment, inappropriate gestures, verbal abuse, and sometimes sexual violence, particularly towards women or LGBT people.

The teams were keen to respond by raising awareness of these issues and protecting victims of sexual assault.

A visual and useful tool

The challenge is high: finding the right medium to inform people arriving at the reception center. They are at a strategic point in their journey, plyed with information, and have very diverse cultures and speak multiple languages.

The video format was chosen for its attractiveness and dynamism. Well produced, it becomes a digestible and visual source of information in no time. Here, our associations have decided on a video lasting just a few minutes, silent, colorful and adapted to its audience.

Writing from the audience

The staff at the center had done an excellent job of gathering information beforehand, which helped us a lot. The Ink link then went to meet the people in the reception center to gather their testimonies: real-life situations and their feelings about the violence they had observed or experienced. It was only after these meetings that we were able to write up an appropriate scenario.

The Ink Link on the field

On this occasion, our Women's Rights Project Manager, Marie-Paule, went to the Petit Château transit center, which receives hundreds of people every week. The strength of this visit?

"In the afternoon at Le Petit Château, I found myself talking to around ten people in a focus group, where we spoke in French, English and Spanish at the same time, while dealing with the many emotions linked to each person's story and the violence encountered at the center."

Making a video with Boniato

Thanks to discussions with the GAMS and a visit to the center, the message of our scenario became clear: the video informs users of the center, of the rules of living together, and also of the risks incurred in the event of inappropriate and forbidden gestures. The information is conveyed by depicting different situations with which people at the center can identify.

Production deadlines were very tight, and creating a silent video presented a number of challenges. Fortunately, our collaboration with our video partner Studio Boniato is both efficient and supportive. We therefore entrusted all the artistic production to the studio's teams, who are used to technical challenges.

Working together for a better quality of life

The ink link is proud of this project, which was created in a participative and collaborative manner. Above all, this video is useful: it helps the center to inform, and it protects the people it cares for by preventing future violence within the structure.

The final video lasts 2 minutes and 30 seconds. It is shown in the Petit Château reception center in Brussels.

We hope it will be of use to other reception centers. Please contact us if you have any questions about its broadcasting.