New UN Women campaign issues call to eliminate sexual violence against women

SANTIAGO, Chile - In Latin America and the Caribbean, at least 1 out of 3 women has experienced physical and/or sexual violence at some point in her life. Within the context of the 16 days of activism for the elimination of all forms of violence against women, UN Women launched a regional campaign to bring attention to the issue of violence against women, and sexual violence in particular, as an issue that must be addressed by society as a whole. The campaign features a TV spot, produced in collaboration with the McCann advertising agency network, that seeks to prompt reflection and foster empathy around the fear experienced by women and girls in public, private and leisure spaces, just for being women.

María Inés Salamanca, Coordinator of UN Women Chile, affirmed the initiative was designed to position the issue of violence against women, and sexual violence in particular, as a problem that must be addressed by society, and create a connection and empathy among men so they can relate to the situations of fear and violence experienced by women.

Salamanca also stressed that this campaign seeks to change male attitudes and behaviors with the aim of promoting new practices and cultural beliefs aligned with women’s rights.

On the other hand, María-Noel Vaeza, UN Women's Regional Director for the Americas and the Caribbean, affirmed that "while in recent years survivors and activists have raised their voices to denounce and condemn rape and other forms of sexual violence through movements such as #MeToo, #TimesUp, #Niunamenos, #NotOneMore and #BalanceTonPorc, violence against women and girls is still widespread, normalized and deeply-rooted in our societies". 

Vaeza also said the rape culture is ubiquitous. "We are surrounded by it in all the countries and regions of the world. It is present in advertising that objectifies women or hypersexualizes girls, in sexist "jokes" women are exposed to in the workplace or school, and in songs that incite sexual violence." 

To develop this campaign, UN Women partnered with McCann Worldgroup, an agency that has endorsed the "Women's Empowerment Principles" in the region and is committed to gender equality and the economic empowerment of women.

Fernando Fascioli, Regional President of McCann Worldgroup for Latin America and the Caribbean, said that “we are calling on more actors to join the work of UN Women and the major challenge of eradicating negative stereotypes and unconscious biases but, above all, the commitment to a more inclusive society without violence, particularly in the area of gender, which is what brought us here today. It is a major endeavor that depends on the actions of each and all of us at different levels".

The campaign highlights the fact that one of the causes of violence is the lack of empathy among men, and also that society as a whole, through its social norms, minimizes the harm inflicted on women and girls victims of violence, and in many cases violent acts are justified, revictimizing the persons affected and contributing to the cycle of violence they are subjected to.  

The central piece of the campaign is a video based on the idea that one of the few times a man thinks about the fear of being raped is when he imagines himself being sent to prison, whereas women experience that fear on a daily basis. The campaign seeks to bring attention to the fact that women live with this reality and fear every single day. 

To raise awareness of the issue, its target audiences are society in general and men, with the idea of creating empathy among men so they can become part of the solution.

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UN Women is the United Nations organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. As a global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide.

Press contacts

Guadalupe Valdés Morales – [ Click to reveal ] +507 6675-4703

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Communications Coordinator, UN Women Chile