Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost to the public purse has been of online advertising for the Enough campaign website in each month for which records are available since that website's launch.

‘Enough’ is the UK Government's landmark campaign to tackle violence against women and girls. It is one of the key commitments in the government’s Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy and uses a range of communications channels to help deliver a generational shift in attitudes and behaviours.

The campaign comprises three strands:

1. Challenging perpetrators – to ensure bystanders know how to challenge abuse when they see it, as well as increasing the unacceptability of VAWG behaviours;
2. Educating young people – to establish healthy attitudes and behaviours around VAWG; and
3. Supporting victims – to ensure they know how and where to access support and, where appropriate, to report their experiences.

‘Enough’ was developed in close consultation with over 40 organisations and academics working on this issue, and they have kindly supported and helped to publicise the campaign. Results from the first phase of campaign activity demonstrated strong progress towards achieving the campaign’s ambitions.

Online advertising is used on different platforms including social media, search engines, online video, video on demand and digital audio. It aims to achieve a range of objectives, including deepening understanding of different types of violence against women and girls, and demonstrating different methods for safely intervening and disrupting abuse. All online assets are designed to deliver key campaign messages and information without the need to visit the website, so it is not strictly accurate to describe it as ‘online advertising for the ‘Enough’ campaign website’.

The website is designed to deepen people’s understanding of violence against women and girls and the different methods for challenging abuse. It also includes a comprehensive summary of different support services, guidance on how to report abuse to the police, and advice for perpetrators who want to change their behaviour after seeing the campaign.

The total cost of digital advertising for the Enough campaign - which is intended in part, but not solely, to drive visitors to the campaign website - was £1,198,627. This activity took place over the following months:

March 2022 - £620,804

October 2022 - £109,133

November 2022 - £468,690

December 2022 – Costs are still being consolidated