Say “NO”!
The United Nations announced a competition of printed social advertisements against violence
Throughout their lives, up to 70 percent of women around the world fall victim to violence. Therefore, the UN Regional Information Center for Western Europe encourages professionals and amateurs, citizens and residents of the region to take part in a competition of social advertisement and create a poster “Say ‘NO’ to violence against women.”
This is not the first UN action against violence. “In February 2008, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced the beginning of a campaign to eliminate violence against women and girls, and called upon the governments of all countries to join and start national campaigns. Ukraine was first to support the UN initiative and announced a national campaign Stop Violence! which will last until 2015,” an Equal Opportunities and Women’s Rights in Ukraine (EU-UNDP) expert on preventing violence Svitlana Pavlysh told The Day.
The UN will hold a competition of printed social advertisement for a second time. Last year, its participants, representing 34 European countries, directed their creativity against poverty.
“In order to fight against such phenomena as poverty or violence, it is necessary that society becomes aware of their extent. And we can educate people through such information campaigns,” says Pavlysh, “Half the population of Ukraine has at least once during their lives suffered from different types of violence — psychological, sexual, physical or economic.”
By the way, the organizers of the Ukrainian campaign “Stop Violence!” also used printed social advertisement, placing billboards with hotline numbers for victims on the streets of major cities throughout the country.
This year’s winner of the “Say ‘NO’ to violence against women” competition will be chosen by an expert jury, consisting of the vice-president of Havas and chairman of the 2010 jury Jacques Seguela, creative director of the visual communications department at the Fabrica center and vice-president of international union of professional designers “ICOGRADA” Omar Vulpinari, the director of Multimedia Art Museum in Moscow Olga Sviblova, chief of the UN Exhibits Unit Jan Arnesen, designer and director of the Graphic Design Museum in Breda Mieke Gerritzen, the creative director of Hvita Husid, last year’s winner Stefan Einarsson, and the manager of United Nations Secretary General’s campaign “Unite To End Violence Against Women” Aldiana Sisic.
The best work chosen by the expert jury will be awarded a money prize in amount of 5,000 euros. Besides, one of the participants’ works that wins according to the results of the open public vote will be awarded a prize from the government of Portugal. A special award for the youngest participants (aged to 25 years) will be granted by the research center Fabrica.
The deadline for submitting works is midnight on May 31, 2011. The names of the winners will be announced on November 25, 2011, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
Details about the contest can be found at the website www.create4theun.eu/ua/.
