Australia is using The Line campaign! No, not Nancy Schwartzman’s movie. The government just launched a campaign called The Line, which is designed to educate young people about healthy relationships. The campaign will also highlight the role that technology can play in bullying and abuse, which is great. I think there has been a lack of education or awareness-raising (perhaps because of the generational differences between educators and young people for a while?) with how technology now plays a *vital role* in interpersonal relationships today.

The use of “The Line” when talking about violence, abuse, and/or relationship seems to be popular. MTV has their own line campaign, for example. I’m not sure how I feel about it, but I guess it *can* be good if one takes tim eto look at campaigns beyond their names… for example, this campaign will show that there is a LINE between healthy and unhealthy, however the line may not be placed where you think. Remember how a huge barrier for battling campus sexual assault is recognizing the line between rapist and nonrapist is – whether they got consent. It isnt about how friendly they are, their grades, their class.

Also, let me just say… 24hour advice hotline? Umm, effing amazing! I think this is great, because one of my biggest gripes with education materials is that they too often portray rigid examples or definitions of what is abusive or unhealthy. Oftentimes there are questions raised by the materials (in my opinion) that they do not answer. I like the idea advice hotline because it isn’t just for people who fit into the clear black-and-white situations, but also for those who might have picked up on some signs and are unsure on what to do about their own situation or a friend’s. Hotlines don’t have to just be able crisis… they can be about support and learning, which I think is a great facet of this campaign.

The campaign is a series of print and radio ads that you can check out. I’d say more, but Feministing and Young Feminist Wire both wrote about it and I just wanted to share this in case anyone has missed this. I firmly believe that learning about healthy relationships and reducing domestic and relationship violence is directly related to the reduction of sexual violence, so I just wanted to share something positive. Being involved with anti-violence work can often be depressing!