2,5 million people on social media say NO to intimate partner violence with #SheSaidNo campaign

Civil society organizations, private sector companies and celebrities supported the campaign.

The #SheSaidNo campaign is inspired by the #SheSaidYes hashtag that is widely used when a woman accepts a marriage proposal. UN Women Türkiye launched the campaign with teaser videos and posts that ran between 23 and 25 November2022 on social media.

The aim of the campaign, which runs throughout the 16 Days of Activism, is to raise public awareness on the manifestations andconsequences of intimate partner violence against women and girls, as well as how to identify it and take action.

The first teaser involved a celebrity couple Mert Yazıcıoğlu (male) and Afra Saraçoğlu (female). Yazıcıoğlu posted a photo of his girlfriend Saraçoğlu’s backhand and wrote She Said No, which ignited a storm of speculation and discussion by thousands of people on social media. On 25 November, Yazıcıoğlu posted a photo of the front of Saraçoğlu’s hand and invited everyone to join the #SheSaidNo campaign, resolving the mystery behind the previous post.

The second teaser video was published by National Goodwill Ambassador and famous actor Demet Evgar, who was the main character of the Turkish version of the reowned Canadian TV series ‘Un gars, une fille’. Evgar came together with her castmate actor Emre Karayel after 7 years to shoot a sketch for the teaser campaign. The sketch was initially interpreted by the Turkish audience as a sign the series would restart. But the mystery was revealed on 25 November when the second sketchwas released, garnering the attention of hundreds of thousands around the campaign. 

Watch the YouTube teaser here.

Besides having a strong teaser period, the campaign used unique artwork inspired by the diversity of women and voices that should unite against violence against women. The campaign invites everyone to choose their favourite poster (among 9 options) and share it on their social media.

Through the campaign that reached millions in a short time, UN Women Türkiye invited followers to take a 10-question intimate partner violence test on its Instagram account. More than 55 thousand people took the test about intimate partner violence through 16 days. According to the initial results of the test, mostly taken by women, “desire to control” isperceived as “informing each other” in intimate partner relationships. The results also show that there is a lack of information about how to take action when people encounter women who are exposed to violence. UN Women invites everyone to shesaidno.info to get more information about intimate partner violence and learn support mechanisms.

The campaign was kicked off through a launch event in downtown Istanbul, moderated by Evgar, where she said: “It is very difficult to achieve gender equality without ending violence completely. Everyone should take action against violence against women.” 

Financed by the European Union, with contributions from the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, the event brought together civil society, the women’s movement, the private sector, public authorities, youth, and activists.

“We can all be advocates and our voices combined can drive the change we seek,” said Asya Varbanova, UN Women Türkiye Country Director, at the launch event. “Together we are stronger against violence and inequalities. Let us walk together to achieve the world we want to live in.” 

At the event representatives from civil society organizations, and youth took the stage to say “No” to violence and expressed their manifests against intimate partner violence. After the speeches, participants painted #SheSaidNo stencils​.

UN Women Türkiye reached more than 2.5 million people through the #SheSaidNo campaign with the support of more than 100 influencers and more than 80 private sector organizations.