The Ministry of Equality of Spain Launches the Treasure Hunt with Ester Exposito to Mark November 25

Nov. 25, 2025

To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the Ministry of Equality of Spain is launching an awareness campaign focused on vicarious violence, entitled “La Búsqueda del Tesoro” (The Treasure Hunt). This initiative, starring actress Ester Expósito, seeks to shed light on one of the most extreme and devastating expressions of gender-based violence, that which is perpetrated against children or other family members to hurt the victim.

The campaign, created in collaboration with Ogilvy Spain, is based on a story by acclaimed Argentine writer Hernán Casciar.

The story begins with what initially appears to be a sweet message recorded for a romantic marriage proposal, but it becomes the key to revealing a tragic reality of vicarious violence. Through this story, it exposes how an abuser uses his own daughter, Amelie, as a weapon of coercion against her mother, Inés.

Guille Fernández and Pablo Poveda, Creative Directors at Ogilvy Madrid said:

"This execution represents very well how devastating vicarious violence can be. It's a topic with thousands of stories, and just hearing one of them overwhelms and breaks you."

 

It's not just fiction

Beyond fiction is the reality experienced by more than a thousand children who are used to harm their mothers. According to the Government Delegation against Gender Violence, from 2013 to July 2025, a total of 65 minors have been murdered, of whom 38 were direct victims of vicarious violence, perpetrated by their fathers or their mothers' partners/ex-partners with the sole and cruel purpose of inflicting as much pain as possible on the mothers. 

In addition, 71% of cases of vicarious violence against minors detected in 2021 occurred during breakups, moments of high vulnerability that aggressors take advantage of to carry out this type of violence.

Raising awareness of a harsh reality

The aim of this campaign is to raise awareness in society about vicarious violence, an extreme form of gender-based violence. It seeks to highlight this harsh reality, raise awareness of its significant impact, and educate people on how to detect its signs in time.

Production by REBOLUCION managed by Hogarth, which is also responsible for post-production.