Official figures from the UN revealed that one in three women experience some form of domestic abuse. Raising awareness of this shocking plight is a winning video at Dubai Lynx.
In support of UN Women’s mission to end violence against women, Google partnered with the Dubai Lynx for the 7-Day Brief Competition powered by YouTube. The competition, now in its third year, dispatched a brief to the creative community across MENA to create a 60-second video in just seven days that raises awareness about the social cause. The winners of the competition were Shafiq Alam, 35 and Mohamad Sarhi, 33 from Jeddah.
The winners tackled the brief by portraying a young woman giving a make-up tutorial on YouTube about how to cover facial bruises after being attacked. While the subject matter is serious, the short film is a parody spin that leverages the growing popularity of beauty channels on YouTube around the world.
“Hello my friends. Today I’m going to show you how to cover bruising around the eye…” opens the friendly looking actress, who says she was hit in the face by her husband. “…It’s important to act quickly before it turns blue.”
The 60-second film concludes with the line “1 of 3 Arab women will find this video useful. Women are still victims of domestic violence and most importantly of silence…” before urging viewers to donate to the UN organisation and to support the set-up of hotlines throughout the region for victims.
While the figures state one in three women are victims of abuse, it is believed the actual numbers are likely to be much higher. The financial cost to society is very large, with medical expenses and productivity loss amounting to billions every year. Globally, UN WOMEN works with governments on ensuring survivor-focused policies that aim to protect women and girls from all forms of violence.
In the MENA region, UN WOMEN aims to improve and expand mechanisms to protect women, including shelters, psychosocial services and legal support. Hotlines will tie these services together in each country, with women able to call 24-hours a day.
Watch the powerful video here:
We also like this entry with the man telling the woman’s story:
