Stop Family Violence Coalition
Open Doors Campaign
 Both literally and metaphorically, El Paso County’s family violence problem exists largely behind closed doors. We have more cases of reported domestic violence and child abuse than any other county in the state of Colorado. The key word here is “reported.” For beyond closed doors hide the cases we do not know about, obscuring another reality, infinitely larger and more disturbing because it is unknown: the violence that never emerges into the light, tragedies that are never seen, screams that are never heard.
Since 1997, the STOP Family Violence Coalition has sponsored a community wide media campaign to raise awareness about the severity of family violence in El Paso County. The coalition members do not have the resources to mount their own campaigns and, since raising public awareness about family violence is common to many agencies, a collaboration meets the need. In the beginning, the coalition focused on the victims, not only to reach out to them to seek help, but also to depict the severity the problem. Over the last couple of years, the campaign’s focus has shifted to primary prevention with a goal of changing the social mores around family violence. Our most recent campaign reflected the need to engage community members, specifically men, to take a stand against family violence and serve as role models and mentors. The campaign not only was well received in our community receiving many ADDY awards, but also regionally, where the TV spot won an Emmy award.
The next step is to speak to the community as a whole to take a stand against family violence and to make it unacceptable in our community. That’s what the Open Doors Campaign is all about. It is time for all of us to open these doors and confront what is inside.
Doors are a strong, provocative symbol, loaded with context and meaning. This campaign will use the iconography of the door to bring El Paso County’s disturbing family violence problem into the open. Although the campaign will utilize traditional media—print, radio, television, billboards, etc.— it will be anchored in creative efforts to interact with our citizens in unexpected places and unusual ways. People will confront real, life-size doors in different places all over town. Special events and initiatives will give local merchants and media partners opportunities to own a piece of this campaign and be part of the solution. The local CBS affiliate KKTV has stepped forward with a generous offer of comprehensive long-term support and partnership. A central web portal will bring all of the diverse organizations that comprise the Stop Family Violence Coalition together. All of our campaign materials will drive respondents to this site.
The Open Doors Campaign provides the Stop Family Violence Coalition with an opportunity to engage our community about this problem in a more pointed, invasive, effective way than ever before. The messaging will be provocative and powerful enough to shake people out of their complacency. This is not the time to whisper. The campaign will shout, for all of the voices that cannot be heard behind closed doors. Together, our community will make enormous strides toward changing attitudes, perceptions and social mores around family violence.
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