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ICGBV Guide to Ethical Storytelling on Gender Based Violence

To understand why survivor stories are the cornerstone of effective campaigns, we must look at neuroscience. Psychologists have identified a phenomenon known as "psychic numbing." Coined by researcher Paul Slovic, it suggests that as the number of victims in a tragedy increases, our empathy actually decreases. We will act to save one identifiable child in a well, but we often ignore a genocide affecting millions.

: Many survivors struggle with misplaced guilt, whether it’s survivor's guilt following loss or the groomed belief that they were "perfect prey" for a predator. Invisible Scars

While are transformative, they are not without risk. The advocacy world has begun to confront a difficult question: Are we re-traumatizing survivors for the sake of engagement?

While it focused on a fun activity, the core of the campaign was the heart-wrenching videos of survivors and their families explaining the brutal reality of the disease. The Ethics of Sharing