What would you expect a young boy to do when told to slap a girl? This powerful PSA regarding nonviolence from Fanpage.it has gone viral. It shows the reactions of five young Italian boys ages 7-11 when they are commanded to hit a girl.
Domestic violence is the most common form of violence in Italy. Furthermore, statistics from ncadv.org reveal that “On average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. ” This PSA video was created to help bring awareness to the epidemic of domestic violence in Italy, but individuals can utilize this video to bring awareness globally.
The video begins with each boy introducing themselves by stating their name and age. Next, each boy describes what they would like to be when they grow up and why. The video then introduces a young girl named Martina and shows the reactions of the boys when they initially see her. They are astonished and think she is beautiful, because of her eyes, hair, and hands. They are asked to caress her and they willingly obey, but later they are given a much different command…
This PSA captures the boy’s expressions when told to slap her. Their faces drop, and the become saddened and angered. They each shake their heads and proudly say no. They are asked why they refuse to hit her and their replies include the following:
“Because she’s a girl, I can’t do it.”
“Because you’re not supposed to hit girls.”
“I don’t want to hurt her.”
“Jesus doesn’t want us to hit others.”
“First of all, I can’t hit her because she’s pretty and she’s a girl.” As the saying goes: “Girls shouldn’t be hit, not even with a flower.”
” Because I’m a man.”
