The Overview

Since 1979, Battered Women’s Support Services (BWSS) has been a leading feminist voice against violence and oppression against women, a powerful policy change agent and a pillar to the communities it serves.

Working from an intersectional, anti-oppression, and feminist framework that promotes equality, BWSS has been intimately involved in providing support and advocacy for women who have experienced abuse, as well as community education and training about violence against women.

Being at the forefront of gender-based issues and working towards the elimination of violence, BWSS was perfectly positioned to participate in national conversations through the media at the intersections of race, gender and women with disabilities.

From June 22 to August 4, 2021, Coldwater Communications executed an earned media campaign to generate awareness of BWSS’s services and the organization’s response to the National Action Plan (NAP) to end violence against women and gender-based violence. Media outreach involved targeted media pitching to BC-based and Canada-wide media.

The Work

  • Developed two media pitches that welcomed media to participate in an expanded conversation and knowledge exchange addressing the advancement, coordination, and implementation of high-quality services for women and girls across Canada.
  • Curated an extensive and targeted list of over 81 reporters across Canada
  • Pitched print, digital, radio and television media contacts that cover topics including human rights, crime and justice, politics, race and gender
  • Disseminated a press release to Canadian media
  • Coordinated interview requests and Q&A sessions between reporters and the Executive Director of BWSS, Angela Marie MacDougall.

The Results

  • Media outreach campaign generated awareness and brought public attention to the organization, its Executive Director, Angela Marie MacDougall, and their role in providing support and advocacy for women who have experienced abuse
  • Secured over 8 pieces of coverage in print, broadcast and online outlets across Canada.
  • Some outlets that covered the story included CBC, Globe and Mail, News1130, and Vancouver is Awesome. 

Examples of media coverage:

Globe and Mail: Experts hope new report can serve as roadmap for national action plan on violence against women

The Tyee: Long-Awaited Roadmap Provides National Path to Ending Violence Against Women

Vancouver is Awesome: Femicides increased in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic