The Pixel Project Selection 2011: 16 Films About Violence Against Women

In our opening essay for last year’s Pixel Project Film Selection, we discussed the power of film as one of the most powerful tools that activists and educators have at their disposal to shape and galvanise public opinion and action to prevent and stop violence against women (VAW) in their communities. We selected a mix of documentaries and full-length movies, because whether they try to document the reality of gender-based violence or portray it through fictional storylines, they have their strengths and place in anti-VAW education.

This year, our selection includes at least one documentary or documentary series produced for and shown via the medium of television by major networks such as HBO and PBS. While film has traditionally been seen as the more prestigious medium, television has three distinct advantages over film: Continue reading

Activism 101: 16 Ways for Men To Step Up in the fight to end Violence Against Women

Today is the fourth day of the 16 Days campaign, and it is with great pleasure that we present a special 16 for 16 article from our partner, the White Ribbon Campaign. The White Ribbon Campaign is the biggest movement in the world of men and boys working to end violence against women. This year, they lost one of their founders and biggest Male Allies of the movement to end violence against women – Jack Layton. It is testimony to the vision of Mr. Layton and the other White Ribbon campaign co-founders that their vision for a world without gender-based violence continues to this day, carried on by Todd Minerson and his team in Canada and other strong male leaders around the world. For that, we thank them. Continue reading

Transforming Personal Pain Into Positive Action: The Pixel Project’s 16 Female Role Models 2011

When we presented our first list of 16 female role models fighting to end violence against women in their communities back in December 2010, our sole intent was simple: to highlight the good work of the heroines of the movement to end violence against women wherever they are in the world. Indeed, this list came about because The Pixel Project team noticed the bright sparks of these women’s efforts in our daily work to collect, collate and share news about the violence against women movement worldwide.

We hoped that these women would be an inspiration to others to get involved with the cause and were delighted to see the outpouring of support that the Facebook and Twitter communities showed for the 2010 list of female role models. Thanks to the generous amounts of sharing and retweeting of the list by our supporters and their networks, those 16 women got an extra – and well-deserved – moment in the spotlight.

With such an overwhelmingly positive response to last year’s list, we decided to make the list an annual online milestone to continue shining a light on many more dedicated and awe-inspiring women activists toiling ceaselessly to prevent, stop and end violence against women in their communities. Continue reading

16 Resources About War-time Violence Against Women

The Bulgarian Martyresses by Konstantin Makovsky (1877). Atrocities of bashibazouks in Bulgaria in Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78.

Violence is an inescapable and terrible manifestation of war and militarism with the worst of the violence being atrocities against civilians being committed in the name of intimidating the enemy to win the war. From the social acceptance of rape as part of war in ancient Greece to the Chinese and Korean comfort women of World War II. From the mass rapes of Bosnia Herzegovina and the Congo, to the forced virginity checks of female protestors in Egypt, women and girls have borne the brunt of many of these crimes against humanity.

In the face of this long-entrenched practice of using violence against women as an intimidation strategy and a sign of military might, we need to follow the lead of 2011 Nobel Peace Prize co-winner, Leymah Gbowee who led the women of Liberia to Monrovia’s town hall to demand of then-President Charles Taylor: “We the women of Liberia will no more allow ourselves to be raped, abused, misused, maimed and killed,” she shouted. “Our children and grandchildren will not be used as killing machines and sex slaves!”

Many will say that it is impossible to achieve world peace but that does not mean we should stop trying on the account of it being possibly futile. More than ever, this is the demand we must collectively make of those who would wage war for power, domination and money. Continue reading

Activism 101: 16 Ideas For Honouring The International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women

Today is the first day of the annual global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence campaign which originated twenty years ago from the first Women’s Global Leadership Institute sponsored by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership in 1991.This 16-day period highlights significant dates including:

This year, Pixel Project joins more than 3000 of our fellow anti-Violence Against Women (VAW) organisations in over 90 countries in honouring the 16 Days of Activism and observing all the significant dates it encompasses with our “16 for 16” campaign.

The Pixel Project’s “16 for 16” campaign is a brand new annual blogging campaign whereby we will produce and publish an article about for each day of the 16 Days of Activism campaign. Each article takes the form of a list of 16 resources/activities/ideas revolving around a selected VAW theme. Last year, during our pilot test run for this campaign concept, we researched, wrote and published articles ranging from The Beginner’s Guide to 16 Types of Violence Against Women to 16 Ways to Volunteer for the Cause to End Violence Against Women. With the popularity and usefulness of these articles evident in the warm response on Facebook and Twitter, we decided to make this an official and permanent annual campaign. Continue reading