Stand campaign: Making violence visible in everyday life

Visualizing the extent of violence with the help of grains of wheat: This is how Opferhilfe beider Basel raised awareness of the issue at a stand campaign.

One in five women in Switzerland will be a victim of violence at least once in her life. This is shown by reliable studies. For the cantons of Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft, this corresponds to over 51,000 women.

Experience numbers
Behind each of these cases is a personal fate. But is the sheer number enough to make us realize the true extent? Often not. That’s why Opferhilfe beider Basel came up with something special: At a stand campaign, the board formed thousands and thousands of grains of wheat into piles of different sizes – for the different target groups of violence in the two cantons. The more people affected by violence, the higher the mountain of wheat.

Being present in public spaces
The board of the Verein Opferhilfe beider Basel recently decided to hold one or two stand campaigns in person every year to engage in conversation with the public about violence and victim protection. The first event took place on August 26 – after the heatwave and in pleasant temperatures – on the corner of Streitgasse and Barfüsserplatz in Basel.

To show violence against women in the two cantons of Northwestern Switzerland, the board members had to pile up 51,000 grains of wheat. It is also well documented who is affected by violence in old age. In Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft, there are around 28,000 people over the age of 60. Most of them experience this in their own homes and not, as is often assumed, in homes and institutions. This pile also reached a considerable height.

Concern and approval
The visualization of violence figures in the form of grains of wheat concerned passers-by. There were also a lot of positive reactions to presenting the topic in this way. This gave the Executive Board the opportunity to make numerous contacts and hold numerous discussions.

Making violence a topic of discussion
This is important because it is difficult for those affected and those not affected to talk about violence. The fact that crimes are committed so frequently in Switzerland is a source of shame. The importance of raising awareness of the issue was also demonstrated by isolated statements that those affected were themselves to blame for the violence inflicted on them.

Tourists from all over the world also ventured to the stand and were curious to see what was on display. They were visibly impressed that there is a victim support service for people affected by violence that is so visible. The numerous positive feedbacks motivate the Board of Directors for further actions.

The Board of Victim Support beider Basel: Denise Gilli (President), René Broder, Elisa Marti, Corina Schweighauser and Fred Surer