Domestic Violence PSA Highlights Trickery of Abusers and Warns Outsiders to Not Be Fooled

For perpetrators of domestic violence, every day is April Fool’s Day as they work to maintain a perfect facade to masque the monster that lies beneath. From the outside looking in, an abusive relationship may look picture perfect, but the new ‘Hidden Horrors’ billboard PSA from Safe in Harm’s Way Foundation Inc., DomesticShelters.org, and Neon, an IPG Health company, encourages the friends and family of abuse victims to take a closer look.

The PSA features an image of an attractive couple posing in front of their beautiful, ideal, home. Both the man and woman are smiling and the husband’s arm is carefully draped across his wife’s shoulder. At first glance, they look happy, healthy and aspirational. The husband appears to be an upstanding gentleman and supportive partner, but upon further inspection, the green monster-like hand clasped upon his wife’s shoulder insinuates that something much darker is happening behind closed doors. 

“It’s vital for the abuser to maintain a perfectly crafted facade, and for outsiders who aren’t the target of abuse, it may come as a shock. “But he’s always so nice to me!” they may say, but what most people don’t understand is that everything is premeditated to keep others in the dark while the abuse continues in the privacy of home,” said Caroline Markel Hammond, CEO of Safe in Harm’s Way Foundation, an online platform that safely connects survivors with healing resources, and provides a one-of-a-kind public database of conviction records. 

“The darkened windows depicted symbolise the fact that any living being behind those closed doors is at risk. It’s estimated that over 90% of the time, children are witnessing the abuse within the home, and the same percentage of pets in these homes are actually harmed,” Caroline added.

‘Hidden Horrors’ instils an element of fear that’s felt by victims of abusers who gear physical or emotional abusive behaviours towards a spouse, child or pet, otherwise exhibiting normal, non-abusive, or even charming behaviour toward anyone outside of the home.  

“The abuser isn’t targeting friends or colleagues; they are gearing abuse toward one specific person, and everyone else may experience something completely different. Abusers make great efforts to protect their public perception in order to maintain control over their victim,” said Ashley Rumschlag, CEO & president of DomesticShelters.org, the largest online searchable directory of domestic violence programs and shelters in the U.S. and Canada.

“‘Hidden Horrors’ focuses on the nuance and strategic deception that takes place in an abusive relationship, juxtaposing private and public life. This is especially relevant in the age of social media. We wanted to put a spotlight on the subtle details that are breaks in the façade – a possessive hand, a demeaning expression, strained body language, panicked eyes and darkened windows. It exists right before our eyes; our aim is to make it visible,” said Sam Lauro, group art supervisor at Neon. 

The ‘Hidden Horrors’ campaign launched on March 27th, on the heels of Women’s History Month and the start of Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April. The campaign is being featured on over 2,900 national screens in high-traffic areas like Times Square’s entrance in New York City, Union Station in D.C, Bayside Marketplace in Miami, 110 freeway entrance in LA, and general office lobbies and elevators, gas stations, billboards, digital bulletins, and mall kiosks throughout the country.

All campaign images mention both Safe In Harm’s Way and DomesticShelters.org, along with the initiative’s microsite Hidden-Horrors.com developed by Neon, an IPG Health company. The first of its kind in the space, the site is designed as a comprehensive decision tree matrix; a series of directive questions that address visitors’ specific situational needs and provide them with resources based on their answers.