‘Hidden Horrors’ Awareness Campaign Launches
The “Hidden Horrors” campaign is being launched in Bermuda by Tammy Richardson Augustus, with an aim to increase awareness about domestic violence and bring attention to the fact that many abusers “make strategic choices to exhibit normal, non-abusive” outside of the home.
A spokesperson said, “For perpetrators of domestic violence, every day is a strained performance, as they strive to maintain a perfect facade to masque the monster that lies beneath. From the outside looking in, an abusive relationship may look picture perfect, but the “Hidden Horrors” billboard campaign from Safe in Harm’s Way Foundation Inc., DomesticShelters.org, and Neon, An IPG Health Company, encourages the friends and family of abuse victims to take a closer look.
“Local domestic abuse advocate Tammy Richardson Augustus has been steadfast in her efforts to extend international domestic abuse education and awareness campaigns to Bermuda. For her, the Hidden Horrors campaign had immediate resonance, for it exposes abusers as the master manipulators they are, calling attention to how most people have likely been deceived by an abuser at some point in their lives.”
“I have been especially dismayed by the spate of complaints – both locally and globally, from victims sitting in mortal danger whose credible allegations of abuse are normalized or dismissed because of two factors: profile of the perpetrator and a lack of understanding of the dynamics of abuse,” said Ms Richardson Augustus.
“The ‘Hidden Horrors’ campaign skillfully expands our purview into the malevolent deceptions of an abuser, commanding us to look beyond profile to the actual character and conduct of the perpetrator.”
A spokesperson added, “The campaign features an image of an attractive couple posing in front of their beautiful, ideal, home. Both the man and woman are smiling, and the husband’s arm is carefully draped across his wife’s shoulder. At first glance, they look happy, healthy, and aspirational. The husband appears to be an upstanding gentleman and supportive partner, but upon further inspection, the green monster-like hand, clasped upon his wife’s shoulder, insinuates that something much darker is happening behind closed doors.”
“It’s vital for the abuser to maintain a perfectly crafted facade, and for outsiders who aren’t the immediate target of abuse, it may come as a shock. “But he’s always so nice to me!” they may say, but what most people don’t understand is that everything is pre-meditated to keep others in the dark while the abuse continues in the privacy of the home,” said Caroline Markel, CEO of Safe in Harm’s Way Foundation, a United States based online platform that safely connects survivors with healing resources, and provides a one-of-a-kind public database of conviction records.
“The darkened windows symbolize the fact that any living being behind those closed doors is at risk. It’s estimated that over 90% of the time, children are witnessing abuse within the home, and the same percentage of pets in these homes are actually harmed,” Caroline added.
A spokesperson added, “‘Hidden Horrors’ instills an element of fear that’s felt acutely by victims. Abusers gear physically or emotionally abusive behaviors towards a spouse, child, or pets within the home. In contrast, abusers make strategic choices to exhibit normal, non-abusive, or even charming behavior towards anyone outside of the home.”
“The abuser isn’t targeting friends or colleagues, so they may experience something completely different. Abusers make great efforts to protect their public perception in order to maintain control over their victim,” said Ashley Rumschlag, National Director of DomesticShelters.org, the largest online searchable directory of domestic violence programs and shelters in the U.S. and Canada.
“Hidden Horrors juxtaposes private and public life, honing in on the deception and social nuances that often take place in abusive relationships. At first glance the imagery seems innocuous, but looking closer we see the signs of fear, the breaks in the facade of normal. We wanted to highlight those subtle details – a possessive hand, strained body language, panicked eyes, and ominously dark windows. With the stereotypical perfect home, or the perfect couple, things are not always as they seem, and our aim is to make that truth visible.” said Morgan Mellas, Group Art Supervisor at Neon
“Abusers seek to obscure their predatory behavior,” said Ms Richardson Augustus, “but certain ‘watermarks’ remain evident. Recognizing these subtle cues of abuse can save a life or reduce adverse childhood experiences [ACEs] of the children in the family, who are often the silent witnesses or co-victims. Through the imagery of the campaign, we hope to unravel the duplicitous nature of abusers, underscore that the home can be a bleak place for victims and their children and to finally move the dialogue beyond an incident-based conceptualization of abuse to the idea that a perpetrator’s insidious pattern of behavior becomes omnipresent in the life of the victim.”
A spokesperson added, “The Hidden Horrors campaign initially premiered in 2023 in the U.S. and has since been featured on over 2,900 national screens in high-traffic areas in the US, including Times Square’s entrance in New York City, Union Station in D.C, Bayside Marketplace in Miami, 110 Freeway entrance in LA, and general office lobbies and elevators, gas stations, billboards, digital bulletins, and mall kiosks throughout the United States. The campaign has won multiple awards since its launch, including Gold Anthem Awards in Diversity Equity and Inclusion, and Responsible Technology.
“The Bermuda campaign is expected to be featured on television, buses, digital bulletins and social media. Additionally, a website has been launched that offers resources for victims and the broader community, providing essential links to Bermuda-based associations for those at risk and to help individuals identify the signs of abuse.
“The site can be found at www.HiddenHorrors.bm, developed by IPG Health advertising agency, Neon. By introducing the campaign at the close of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, activist Richardson Augustus hopes to galvanise the momentum and drive lasting change.
“Ms Richardson Augustus has been moved by the generosity of support from Safe In Harm’s Way, DomesticShelters.org, Neon and Gemma Godfrey, who is an invaluable part of her local team.
“The initiative’s microsite, www.HiddenHorrors.bm is designed to address visitors’ specific situational needs and provide them with resources based on what specialized help they are looking for.”
Wow ???? this is an insightful campaign! Raising awareness into the reality of living in an abusive environment! Hats off to Tammy!! AMAZING!!
Abused persons need to stop covering up for abusers. Speak up and courts family services, child protection needs to defend the abused and their children. Stop patting the abuser to push partners under the Bus to make themselves, the innocent party. BS!! You abuse physically, emotional, phycology…your backside should get minimum of 10 years. Tired of hearing men and women,s, young mother’s stories of above situations. Counselling does not help them because the person respects or cares nothing about anybody, nobody. Lock them up and throw away the key as was said back in the day. Cause if a village takes hold of abusers only then or maybe not, serious actions will be seriously done other then the beating by the caring Community.
“Abused persons need to stop covering up for abusers.”
Sadly, most victims of abuse are not in a position to simply stop covering up. Some are so damaged that they believe they deserve the treatment they get, others simply believe there is no alternative.
For many victims, the strength to stop covering for the abuser comes only with time and counseling.
Who feels it knows it