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How public figures influence our view of domestic violence
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Don't be afraid: Domestic violence survivors, religious leaders and the National Commission on Violence Against Women (KOMNAS Perempuan) suggest women speak up if they ever experience domestic violence. (Pixabay/Tumisu) (Pixabay/Tumisu)
The way public figures talk about domestic violence can lead to a normalization of it.
The power of fame and the public eye remains instrumental in shaping or enforcing societal views. Some public figures can be educational in the ideas they put out, while some may provide questionable perspectives that may lead to harmful or regressive ideas.
Last month, celebrity YouTuber Baim Wong and his wife Paula Verhoeven made a supposed “prank” video in which the latter filed a fake domestic violence complaint to the police, all the while a hidden camera taped her and an officer’s encounter. The video was uploaded while a very-recent domestic abuse case involving another celebrity couple, Lesti Koejora and Rizky Billar was making internet headlines.
After criticism of the prank video made the rounds online, Baim issued a public apology, claiming that he “had no intention to mock or degrade the police institution”.
“What I wanted was the contrary. I wanted to know their reactions when it's a public figure like Paula who is reporting it," Baim said to Detik not long after the incident.
Activists and domestic violence survivors have a different view, seeing it as making light of the issue and even showcasing how safe perpetrators are from actual consequences.
