A campaign designed to help domestic abuse victims is criticised for being flawed
A viral campaign to combat domestic abuse has been criticised for being ill thought out and potentially dangerous.
The Black Dot campaign, which has reached five million Facebook users, encourages abuse victims to daub a black dot on their palm as an indicator they need help.
It was initially created by Danielle Tredgett, a former victim of domestic abuse, who said she devised the idea after experiencing a lack of support.
However, the initiative is now facing criticism on the back of its rapid success after organisers admitted support organisations may not be aware of the black dot or have received any training.
It would be better we tackle the root causes of the issue than come up with faddish and unhelpful internet campaigns
Many Facebook users have been quick to identify obvious flaws.
One of the most obvious concerns is that an abuser would see the dot before the victim managed to get to a position of help.
Numerous other Facebook and Twitter posts painted a scenario where people with accidental dots on their hands could be confused with a victim with their partners potentially being stigmatised.
One Facebook post by Jenny J said angrily: “This is ill thought out, dangerous and irresponsible! Women in domestic abuse situations often can’t escape because they have nowhere to go.
"It would be better we tackle the root causes of the issue than come up with faddish and unhelpful internet campaigns that are meaningless.”
Facebook user Jenn Hunton posted a link to the campaign on her page - and the status was shared more than 56,000 times.
She said: "In just 24 hours, the campaign has reached over 6,000 people worldwide, and has already helped six women. Please spread the campaign, and post a picture of your hand with the black dot, to show your support to all survivors of domestic violence."
Responding to the concerns, organisers behind the campaign said: “This isn't the solution that will help everyone, if anything it should help people realise what abuse is, how it affects people and how to access help.
“Putting such a campaign on Facebook was about raising awareness on a social media platform.”
