The Zonta Club of Launceston Inc, Australia, has helped bring a bold new domestic violence awareness campaign to the streets, funding a message on a Metro bus that reads, “Prevent the violence, stop the hidden abuse.”

Unveiled in June and set to run on all Launceston routes for six months, the initiative was led by the Launceston White Ribbon Committee and made possible through the club’s donation, with design support from Lomond Arthur Design.

“This message reminds people that what we see is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Zonta president and White Ribbon chair Carol Fuller. “It sticks with you — even if you don’t read it closely.”

Amid rising national concern and statistics showing that over one-third of Australian men have used intimate partner violence, advocates say cultural norms, gender stereotypes and everyday sexism continue to fuel abuse that often goes unseen.

“We need everyone to recognize and call out harmful behaviors,” said White Ribbon member Sallyann Geale. “What you walk by is what you accept — and we can choose to stop doing that.”