Tag Archives: Violence Against Women

The Pixel Project Selection 2012: 16 Resources About Wartime Violence Against Women

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Twelve years ago, The UN Security Council enacted resolution 1325 on women, peace and security.  This resolution is designed to put a global spotlight on the role of women in armed conflict, calling for recognition that women are as much a part of international peace as other genders.  It also highlighted the disproportionate impact of war and armed conflict on women.

Still today, millions of women around the world continue to be impacted by and bear a brunt of armed conflicts and wars.  Women continue to be targeted for sexual violence and other interpersonal violence.  As families are often separated during conflicts and wars, women are then particularly vulnerable to interpersonal violence and rape.  Concurrent with violence is lack of access to food, water, healthcare, and shelter.

Sexual Violence is a war crime, and while progress has moved forward incrementally, much progress is yet to be made.   International humanitarian law as enforced through the Geneva Conventions provides for the protection of women in wartime, including armed conflicts.   However, while States have ratified the Geneva Conventions, not all governments ensure that the law is implemented or enforced.   Violators may not equally face punishment, if any punishment is made. Continue reading →

16 Safe and Creative Ways for Bystanders to Become Upstanders in Stopping Violence Against Women

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For the 13th day of the 16 Days of Activism, we are pleased to share a special blog list of 16 actions that bystanders can take to become upstanders taking action to stop Violence Against Women from our new partner, Breakthrough and their Bell Bajao campaign. 

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Almost everyone on the planet has been through that harrowing experience where they, someone they know, or someone in their vicinity has been subject to some form of violence. A lot of us know all too well the feeling of helplessness or panic that comes with experiencing a violent situation. It could be something as ubiquitous as street-harassment, or it something as covered-up as domestic violence.

We know that there is no excuse for violence, and we know that violence should never be allowed to happen. So, as witnesses or bystanders to a violent situation, what could we do to stop it from happening? Continue reading →

16 Tech Innovations that Help the Movement to Prevent and Stop Violence Against Women

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The 21st century has been defined by the ever-evolving repertoire of technology, devices, and inventions that ultimately connect us across temporal and spatial boundaries. This has been the era of smart phones, tablets, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, amongst many others.  The challenge of ending violence against women has not remained static but has similarly morphed to join the digital era. Violence against women now not only occupies its traditional spaces: cyberbullying, cyberstalking, digital voyeurism, and a whole gamut of new forms of violence have become prevalent.

This article highlights 16 tech innovations or platforms that address violence against women and can be used to prevent or to stop incidences of gender-based violence. Together, they show how we can reclaim technology and use it to make positive contributions to the lives of women around the globe and hopefully invite some creative spark for the next technological invention to be used in this cause. Continue reading →

16 Striking Campaigns for the Cause to End Violence Against Women

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While we at The Pixel Project always seek to emphasise the positive, the fact remains that, in many places in the world, activists working to end Violence Against Women (VAW) face considerable obstacles:  denial of the problem; cultural taboos that prevent open and honest discussion; viewing VAW as a “women’s issue instead of a human issue; and hostility from men’s rights activists and extremists who seek to keep women “in their place.”  The latter was tragically and recently seen in the early October shooting of Pakistani girls’ rights activist Malala Yousafzai.

Given the hostility they often face,  many VAW activists recognise that they have to be more creative than activists working in more popular causes (e.g. cancer, children’s issues, animal rights and the green movement). A sense of humour and a penchant for effecting change from within also does not go amiss. Continue reading →

The Pixel Project Selection 2012: 16 Films About Violence Against Women

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The Pixel Project’s annual selection of films, documentaries and television shows that raise awareness about violence against women has been a fixture in our annual “16 For 16” campaign from the very beginning. We firmly believe that the “Show, Not Tell” principle is one of the most powerful ways to create a connection between the movement to end violence against women and the person on the street who might not have even given this human rights issue a thought before. Film and television are some of the best 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 remains strong.

2012 has been a bumper year for films and documentaries about violence against women, some of which have won major awards. This indicates that this major human rights issue is starting to come out of the shadows and that the wall of silence surrounding it may not be completely eradicated but is, at the very least, cracked enough to start conversations. Continue reading →

16 Creative and Safe Ways to Intervene to Stop Street Harassment

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Visit www.mencanstoprape.org for more information.

Street harassment is becoming increasingly prevalent all across the globe. The anti-Street Harassment nonprofit, Stop Street Harassment, defines street harassment as:

“Unwelcome words and actions by unknown persons in public which are motivated by gender and invade a person’s physical and emotional space in a disrespectful, creepy, startling, scary, or insulting way.”

Two things are necessary for street harassment to happen:

1) A person or group who chooses to harass someone and

2) A community of bystanders willing to let it happen.

As a society, if we continue to accept street harassment as a part of our daily lives, it will never stop.

Many people would like to prevent and stop street harassment in their communities, but are worried about how to go about it. Intervening does not mean that a person has to get involved in a verbal or physical fight with the harasser. Keeping yourself safe is important and there are many safe and creative ways to intervene – here are just 16 of them:

Written by Rubina Singh; Edited by Crystal Smith and Regina Yau Continue reading →

The Pixel Project Selection 2012: 16 Music Artistes Who Support The Cause To End Violence Against Women

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With VAW being a taboo topic in many cultures and communities, music has become an invaluable awareness-raising, advocacy and educational tool which anti-Violence Against Women (VAW) activists, grassroots groups and nonprofits such as The Pixel Project use in their work to get communities aware about VAW, to break the silence surrounding the violence and to inspire people to take action to stop this human rights atrocity. Indeed, from We Are The World to Man In The Mirror, musicians, singers and songwriters have proven again and again that music is one of the most powerful ways of conveying messages about causes and issues. Continue reading →

ANNOUNCEMENT: “16 For 16” 2012 Campaign Combines The Power of Blogging & Music In Support Of The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence

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25 November 2012: The Pixel Project is proud to present their second annual 16 For 16 campaign. This holiday season campaign is The Pixel Project’s contribution to the international 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence campaign. This year’s 16 For 16 campaign has two components: The first is a blogging marathon to raise awareness and inspire action to prevent and stop Violence Against Women (VAW); The second is a digital music EP featuring songs from artistes from around the world saying NO to violence against VAW while raising funds for The Pixel Project.

The core campaign is a 16-day blogging marathon with one blog article published for every day of the 16 Days of Activism. Each article is a list of 16 positive ideas and/or solutions revolving around a specific theme related to VAW. Each idea and/or solution is bite-sized – simple to understand and easy to put into action. These articles are part of a growing online resource of ideas and solutions for preventing, stopping and ending VAW that The Pixel Project is building as part of their commitment to inspiring and galvanising individuals and communities to take that first step towards helping stop VAW. Continue reading →

Transforming Personal Pain Into Positive Action: The Pixel Project’s 16 Female Role Models 2012

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Today is the first day of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence 2012 campaign and The Pixel Project is kicking things off with our 3rd annual list of 16 female role models fighting to end violence against women in their communities. The intent of this list is simple: to highlight the good work of the heroines of the movement to end violence against women wherever they are in the world. The women and girls in this year’s list hail from 14 countries and 4 continents.

Many of these astounding women have shown that it is possible to transform personal pain that came out of facing gender-based violence, into positive action to stop violence against women, empower themselves and to show other survivors that it is possible to move forward with dignity and happiness. They have refused to let bitterness and pain get the better of them, opting to stand up for themselves and for other women instead.

Others on this list may not have experienced gender-based violence inflicted on themselves but they have stepped up to do what is right: to speak up for women and girls who cannot do it for themselves, sometimes at great personal risk. All this requires immense courage, generosity of spirit and a strong enduring heart. Continue reading →

Activism 101: 16 Ways to Commemorate World Human Rights Day

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Today is World Human Rights Day which celebrates and commemorates the creation and existence of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which came into being on 10 December 1948. It is one of the most significant days in the United Nations’ calendar of events and it is traditionally on 10 December that the five-yearly United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights and Nobel Peace Prize are awarded. In addition, many activists, charities, government bodies, non-governmental organisations and grassroots groups working on all aspects of human rights protection and promotion schedule special events in observance of the day. Continue reading →