Photos to fight violence against women

New Delhi - UN Women has launched an India-wide campaign to respond to violence against women that will culminate on 8 March – the International Women’s Day. The campaign, which is part of the UN Secretary General’s campaign to End Violence Agains Women, will encourage young people to discuss and speak out about violence.

The UNiTE Say No to end Violence against Women in India includes on-the- ground activity along with social media activation. As of now, 50, 000 free postcards with competition details have been placed in over 550 outlets including cafes, education institutions and other places. Postcards can be collected from outlets in Bengaluru, Calcutta, Chandigarh, Darjeeling, Delhi, Gangtok, Goa, Gurgoan, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kolkata, Mumbai, Noida and Pune. “This competition will show what India is all about,” said Sidhant, 19, a resident of New Delhi.

Freedom from Violence Photo Competition

One part of the campaign is a nationwide photo competition on “Freedom from Violence” to encourage young people to submit photographs on UN Women India’s Facebook page. ”The photos should represent what young people want and desire – it should evoke their sentiments about freedom from violence against women. Without the involvement of young people, we cannot change the mindsets and attitudes of the future generation,” added Ms Stenhammer. The top three winners will receive cameras and their images will be displayed through postcards and exhibits.

Social media at the centre of change

Social media – the very engine of discussion amongst urban youth in India was a very apt choice for the campaign. Bhavneet, 17 years, another New Delhi resident stated: “There are so many users of Facebook. It’s a great platform for people to come together for a good cause”.

The campaign also encourages young people to take concrete action through the Say No – UNiTE to End Violence against Women social mobilization platform. Almost 5,516,971 actions have already been taken globally, from survivors of violence speaking up to governments taking special initiatives to stop violence. Through this website, anyone can take part in an activity or get inspired to organize their own initiative on www.saynotoviolence.org.

Entries for the photo contest close on 25 January 2012. Entrants can submit their photos online at www.facebook.com/unwomenindia. One of the top three winners will be chosen by a judge, the other two will be decided by the highest number of ‘likes’ on the Facebook page. The top 13 winners will also receive prizes.

Crime against women in India

According to the National Crime Records Bureau, a total of 33,789 cases of crime against women were reported from 53 mega cities out of 228,650 cases reported in the country during 2011. The rate of crime in these cities at 21 percent was higher as compared to the national rate of 18.9 percent.

“These statistics are even more disturbing when one considers that reporting rates of violence against women are generally lower than other types of crime. The time to act is now. A series of activities will promote the message that violence against women in any form is not acceptable. We hope to engage the youth of India to take action on the issue of violence,” said Anne F. Stenhammer, Regional Programme Director, UN Women South Asia.

This campaign complements the work of UN Women India to prevent violence against women and girls.