Just under one week on from Smear Campaign Awareness Day (18th April), we wanted to pause and thank every single person who has signed, shared, supported, and stood beside this campaign.

What started as an awareness day became something much bigger than we imagined.

The response was incredible.

We saw so much traction across our educational posts; follows, likes, comments, shares, messages, and meaningful conversations.

We were truly humbled by the support shown.

However most importantly, survivors reached out to us.

Many shared that they had not realised smear campaigns were what they had been experiencing. They thought it was all in their heads, that they were “going crazy,” or overreacting.

To know our materials helped people name what they had been living through means everything.

We also had organisations and contacts reach out about future collaborations to continue raising awareness around smear campaigns and wider violence against women and girls (VAWG).

On a personal note, even friends contacted us to say some of the videos brought back past experiences and opened conversations they had never fully processed before.

Those moments matter deeply, as they show we are helping survivors.

We were also encouraged to receive support from police professionals who said the explanations around smear campaigns were clear, accurate, and reflected patterns they regularly hear from survivors disclosing sexual violence and domestic abuse.

This is exactly why this campaign matters.

Smear campaigns are not harmless gossip.

They are actually a form of psychological abuse, retaliation, coercive control, and victim silencing.

Thank you for helping us reach 204 signatures so far.

Please keep sharing this petition with your friends, family, colleagues, workplaces, and networks so we can grow support, push for meaningful change, and move toward greater accountability for those who perpetrate smear campaigns, because it is not ok and we don't have to tolerate it.

We are also proud to share that we are currently developing the first ever Smear Campaign Awareness Workshop, where we hope to bring people together to learn more, discuss solutions, and create a stronger call for action.

This is only the beginning.

Thank you for believing in this cause.

Please continue to sign and share,

Priya x

#SCAD #SmearCampaignAwarenessDay #ChangeStartsHere #BelieveSurvivors #SmearCampaignsAreAbuse #VAWG #PsychologicalAbuse #CoerciveControl #SupportSurvivors #TheJessicaProject