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Good practice Imported

Bell Bajao! — Breakthrough India's Nationwide Bystander Campaign Against Domestic Violence

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Evidence: Observational / pre–post Top 55% 63/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

Breakthrough's Bell Bajao! campaign mobilised bystanders across India to interrupt domestic violence; reaching over 130 million people, it was linked to a 49% rise in awareness of India's 2005 domestic-violence law and a 15% rise in service demand.

130,000,000+
People reached
49 %
Rise in awareness of the 2005 Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act
15 %
Increase in demand for related services in surveyed areas
3 %
Baseline awareness of the 2005 law
Bell Bajao! — Breakthrough India's Nationwide Bystander Campaign Against Domestic Violence

Details

Maturity
Discontinued
Promoter
Breakthrough
Period
2008–2013
Keywords
media & communications, community mobilisation, civil society

Context

Launched in 2008 by the Indian NGO Breakthrough, Bell Bajao! ('Ring the Bell') asked men and boys to intervene in domestic violence by doing something as simple as ringing the doorbell to interrupt an assault.

Activities

The campaign combined television and radio spots, community video screenings and local mobilisers working door-to-door in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka.

Results

Baseline, midline and endline surveys, together with a longitudinal panel study by the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), found the campaign reached more than 130 million people and was associated with a 49% rise in awareness of India's 2005 Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act and a 15% increase in demand for related services in surveyed areas. Baseline research found only 3% of respondents were initially aware of the 2005 law and 80% believed only family members should intervene in domestic abuse.

Conclusions

The campaign wound down as a distinct national push after the early 2010s; Breakthrough has not sustained it at the same scale, and independent, non-Breakthrough-affiliated impact evaluation remains limited.

Implementation
Indicative cost
High (€500k–€5M)
Time to results
Medium (1–3 years)
Staffing & skills
Breakthrough campaign and production team, local mobilisers working door-to-door, International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) evaluation team

Conditions for success

  • a simple, memorable behavioural ask (ring the doorbell) combined with mass media reach
  • combining TV/radio with door-to-door community mobilisation and video screenings

Common failure modes

  • campaign wound down as a distinct national push after the early 2010s and has not been sustained at the same scale
  • independent, non-Breakthrough-affiliated impact evaluation remains limited

Commonly funded by

Philanthropic / foundation funding National / regional programmes

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Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

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