Anti-Crime Initiative #ShortcutForHelp Aids Women in Need Whilst Stuck at Home
According to several studies, one in four women have been victims of severe physical violence - including beating, burning or strangling - by an intimate partner in their lifetime. And with lockdown, physical abuse has increased by 80%, turning women's own homes into the most dangerous place in the world.
Creative at TBWA CHIAT Los Angeles, Robison Mattei, partnered with Black African-American illustrator Mia Saine to bring an interesting visual approach to the idea, and a consultant that works on a non-profit organisation, to help women on this matter. Robison found a way to ask someone for help without raising the aggressor’s suspicion. #ShortcutForHelp is a hack on the shortcut app on any iPhone (which comes standard on the iOS system), so you can send a silent message to a friend or relative triggered by a secret word.
To help spread the message, Robison and other collaborators created a video that teaches women how to set up their phones alongside with some visual assets illustrated by Mia. The project was created to be launched during the U.N’s international day for the elimination of violence against women, which is today.
The idea behind the video being in vertical format is for it to be easy for women to share amongst themselves using text messages on their phones.
“The inspiration to create the #ShortcutForHelp really came after reading some articles about how Covid-19 was affecting families and couples, specifically." said Robison. "After digging into more information and thinking about a way-out when these women are locked in their homes, hacking the tools available on iPhone came straight to my mind - knowing the huge number of female users of the device. Then, it was a matter of studying the best way in to do it, and it was a process of almost two months finding the best tool to do it secretly and personal. So, we then covered every single step to make sure women would send the warning and also protect themselves while doing it."
Robison continued: "Lastly, the best part of this project was partnering with some powerful women, who also believed on the project, and helped to sharpen the message and also share powerful insights and ideas.”
