Every year more than 30,000 women and children are affected by intimate partner violence in British Columbia, with one woman killed every week in Canada. This is a frightening statistic. Battered Women’s Support Services wanted to encourage the public to speak up against acts of gender-based violence and donate to organizations helping victims.

As many people are unaware of what it is like to be in an abusive relationship, the organization wanted to give them a disturbing first-hand glimpse into the experience. During the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, the agency installed an interactive transit ad that places the viewer in the shoes of a person experiencing violence by their intimate partner. At first glance, the ad appears to be a nondescript apartment door, but when the viewer looks through the peephole, they see an angry man in the hallway, banging on the door and trying to get in. The realistic effect was created by suspending a high-res screen behind the peephole, and installing a speaker at the precise point on the door where the man is knocking. At the end of each video loop, text inside the peephole appears, reading, “You can just walk away. Some women can’t.” A call-to-action drove to an online donation page. The team filmed bystander reactions and created a video that was shared online.

The campaign was picked up by TV and radio news outlets across Canada, and received over 2 million impressions from the online video. Additionally, web traffic increased 400% and average donation amounts doubled.