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Creating a Violence-Free Future: My Journey as a Campaigns and Engagement Officer at Zero Tolerance

Former Campaigns and Engagement Officer for Zero Tolerance, Joanna Zawadzka, reflects on her time at Zero Tolerance.

For the past seven years as Campaigns and Engagement Officer at Zero Tolerance, I’ve had the privilege of working to prevent men’s violence against women and girls. Through partnerships with organisations, media, activists and artists across Scotland, we’ve tackled this violence at its root cause - gender inequality. From 2017 to 2024, my role has involved developing and delivering impactful campaigns that raised awareness and inspired action, while building lasting relationships with stakeholders across Scotland who share our vision of Scotland free from men’s violence against women and girls. As I prepare for my next chapter, I want to reflect on this meaningful work and the progress we’ve made together.

I’m particularly proud of our Media Guidelines, which have become a trusted resource for journalists across Scotland and beyond. We expanded our impact by launching two new versions - one adapted for UK-wide use and another specifically for broadcast media, developed in partnership with Bauer Media. It was especially rewarding to see Bauer Media, whose radio news bulletins reach over 20 million UK adults, not only adopt our guidelines but also champion them through their #ReportIt campaign, helping to challenge harmful attitudes and promote better understanding of men’s violence against women.

Another powerful example of our primary prevention work is the Write to End Violence Against Women Awards. These awards tackle the way our culture normalises and minimises this violence through media reporting. By celebrating journalists who report responsibly and accurately on men’s violence against women, we’re helping to shift how society understands and talks about this issue. We’ve significantly expanded the awards’ impact in recent years, partnering with the End Violence Against Women coalition to create a UK-wide platform. The awards now attract high-profile judges including renowned journalists and activists, helping to establish new standards for ethical reporting. This improved media coverage plays a crucial role in prevention - when journalists report accurately about the causes and context of men’s violence against women, it helps challenge harmful attitudes and misconceptions that allow this violence to persist.

Some of our most rewarding work involves amplifying the voices of women who face multiple forms of inequality. For example, I coordinated our Future Tales project, where we worked with minority ethnic and trans women to imagine a Scotland free from men’s violence. Through art workshops, women created powerful artwork illustrating the fairy tales that might be told in such a world. This project not only helped us build valuable relationships with sister organisations but also brought these vital perspectives to our 30th anniversary celebrations, where we showcased the artwork and discussed how to make this vision a reality.

A typical week might involve coordinating a prevention project, planning engagement activities with MSPs, or working with partners to amplify marginalised voices. I particularly enjoy developing creative projects like our Violence Unseen photography exhibition, which has toured across Scotland from Shetland to the Borders, reaching over 2,000 people. The exhibition has been a powerful tool for broadening public understanding of less visible forms of violence against women, with visitors frequently commenting on how it opened their eyes to forms of abuse they hadn’t previously considered.

This role drew heavily on my background in community engagement and campaign coordination. Strong communication skills were essential - from crafting persuasive content for diverse audiences to building effective partnerships. For instance, when touring the Violence Unseen exhibition, we collaborated with local organisations and venues across Scotland to ensure the message reached different communities and sparked important local discussions about prevention.

Working in the women’s sector is incredibly rewarding. There’s something powerful about being part of a women’s movement working towards a shared vision of equality and continuing and contributing to the work of many generations of feminists before me.

Of course, there are challenges. Working on issues of violence against women and girls means engaging with deeply distressing realities. We hear stories of women’s lives being profoundly impacted by men’s violence, and this can be emotionally demanding. While these stories strengthen our resolve to create change, we must also practice self-care and support each other as a team. Understanding the scale and impact of men’s violence against women and girls can feel overwhelming at times, but it also reinforces why our prevention work is so vital. We’re often pushing against established systems and attitudes, which requires persistence and resilience. Resources can be limited in the charitable sector, so you need to be resourceful and ready to adapt plans - something that became particularly evident during the pandemic when we quickly needed to adapt to digital engagement strategies.

For anyone interested in this type of role, I’d encourage you to get involved in campaigning or advocacy work, whether through volunteering, internships or community activism. Building experience in project management, public speaking, stakeholder engagement and communications is crucial, but equally important is developing a deep understanding of gender inequality and violence against women and girls and how it impacts women’s lives in different ways.

The impact of this role extends beyond individual campaigns and projects. Through our work, we’ve helped shape public discourse around violence against women, influenced policy developments, and built strong partnerships across sectors. When I see positive changes happening - whether it’s improved media reporting, stronger prevention policies, or greater public understanding - it all contributes to why this work matters.

While the work can be challenging and hard to measure, knowing that we’re contributing to preventing violence against women and girls makes it deeply meaningful.

Each small victory, whether it’s a journalist improving their reporting practices, an exhibition visitor gaining new understanding, or a woman feeling empowered to share her vision of a violence-free future, brings us one step closer to our vision of a Scotland free from violence against women and girls.

by Joanna Zawadzka
previous campaigns and engagement officer