Family violence campaign: 'If kids know it's wrong you should too'

The video shows boys' reactions when asked to hit a girl. Photo / Counties Manukau Police Facebook

A video recording boys' reaction when asked to hit a girl has been filmed by Counties Manukau Police in their ongoing campaign against family violence.

The clip, which features seven boys aged 8 to 12, has taken a cue from "Slap Her", an Italian clip that gained world-wide attention earlier this year.

It begins with an interviewer asking the boys their names, ages, and what they want to be. They are introduced to a girl called Chloe, asked to make her laugh, and give her a hug.

Watch: the moment boys are asked to hit a girl (app users tap here)

Asked why they like her, one responds, "there's just something nice about Chloe".

The boys are then asked to slap her.

"I'm not slapping a girl!" the first boy says. The others, looking a mix of perplexed and horrified, also refuse. "That's the wrong thing to do!" "She's a girl." "You can't just go around hitting people," they say.

The video ends with the words: "If kids know it's wrong you should too."

Counties Manukau district prevention officer Senior Constable Gary Boles said they had used the Italian video as inspiration. "It was our first instinct, to see our boys would react."

He said the students are from Bucklands Beach Primary school, and although parents were shown the Italian clip, the Kiwi boys weren't prepped, other than being asked to think about what they wanted to be when they grew up.

"Everyone was under strict instructions. We wanted the raw feeling and emotion to come out. The result you see is the result we wanted," Mr Boles said.

Chloe was the daughter of a local police officer, he said, and was "perfect" for the role.

The video was shot over two weeks, and released today to remind people of the "It's not OK" message in time for Christmas.

"For us it's a high family violence time of the year. We want to tell everyone, if you're getting heated up, just take five, walk away, get a breath of fresh air," Mr Boles said.

"It's a time for having fun and not for violence."

The video had a reach of 20,000 in its first two hours.

-NZH