Evaluation of a domestic violence multi-media communication campaign in Mozambique

In 2009, the Mozambican government approved law 29/2009 “Domestic Violence Against Women.” The law was enacted to punish perpetrators and provide protections to victims of DV. N'weti, a Mozambican non-for-profit, launched a multimedia campaign entitled “Say NO to domestic violence”. An objective was to increase awareness of the law and change norms about DV. In 2011/2 Tulane University conducted an evaluation of N'weti's campaign using a national cross-sectional survey of 5,056 men and women aged 15-49. The study aimed to assess the effect of exposure on DV outcomes. Multivariate regression was used to determine the effects of exposure. A three-level variable of intensity of exposure was created. As compared to those unexposed (42.1%), respondents exposed at low (51%), medium (60%) and high (62%) levels are more likely to have heard of the law. When disaggregating by gender, results are significant for all categories among women, but only the highest among men. Low/medium levels of exposure are associated with agreement with “If a man beats a woman, he is breaking a law” (unexposed: 42%, low: 53% and medium: 55%) and with “If a person forces a woman to have sex against her will, it is a crime” (unexposed: 45%, low: 56% and medium: 61%). No effects are seen with high exposure. The former indicator is only significant among men, while the later only among women. N'weti's campaign increased awareness about the law and knowledge that DV is a crime. The effects of the campaign had different influences on men and women.