UNiTE Campaign Launches T-Shirt Design Contest

The United Nations Secretary-General’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign has launched a T-shirt design competition for young men. Those from 18 to 25 years old, from anywhere in the world, are invited to participate.

Millions of women and girls worldwide suffer some form of gender-based violence, be it domestic violence, rape, female genital mutilation/cutting, dowry-related killing, trafficking, sexual violence in conflict-related situations, or other manifestations of abuse. In fact, for women and girls 16-44 years old, gender based violence is a major cause of death and disability.

Launched in 2008, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign aims to raise public awareness and increase political will and resources for preventing and ending all forms of violence against women and girls in all parts of the world.

The campaign calls on governments, civil society, women’s organizations, men, young people, the private sector.

FAST FACTS

• Based on country data available, up to 70 percent of women experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime (the majority by intimate partners or someone they know)
• Worldwide, up to 50 percent of sexual assaults are committed against girls under 16 years old.
• Women and girls account for about 80 percent of the estimated 800,000 people trafficked across national borders annually. Sexual exploitation accounts for about 80% of the detected trafficking cases.
• Between 40 and 50 percent of women in the European Union experience unwanted sexual advances, physical contact or other forms of sexual harassment at work.
• 20,000 to 50,000 women were raped during the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, while approximately 250,000 to 500,000 women were raped during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
• School-related violence limits the educational opportunities and achievements of girls.
• Women are already two to four times more likely than men to become infected with HIV during intercourse, with forced sex or rape increasing this risk by limiting condom use and causing physical injuries.

SIX THINGS YOU CAN DO:

1. Educate yourself about the causes and consequences of violence against women and girls.

2. Listen to girls and women you know to learn from them and their experiences.

3. Challenge sexist language and jokes that degrade women and girls.

4. Learn to recognize and oppose violence and harassment of women and girls in your school, community and family.

5. Examine how your own attitudes and behavior might contribute to the problem.

6. Support, financially or otherwise, organizations that work to provide women and girls with alternatives to violence and discontinue support to those institutions that promote
violence.

ABOUT THE COMPETITION

At the UNiTE campaign, we believe in using imagination and creativity to build a future without violence!

If you are a man aged 18 to 25 and want do just that, then go ahead and design your own UNiTE campaign t-shirt! You can paint your design, draw, make a photograph or create it entirely on the computer.

Interested?

ENTER HERE

SUBMISSIONS

All eligible entries will be posted here 24 to 48 hours after submission and will be available for public voting from 21 September until 21 October.

The entry with the most votes will win the Public Vote Award!

Come back after 21 September and vote for your favorite design!

AWARDS

The top five winners selected by our regional and global

— USEFUL LINKS

• UNiTE CAMPAIGN
• SAY NO – UNiTE
• BREAKAWAY GAME
• WHITE RIBBON CAMPAIGN
• THE ONE MAN CAN CAMPAIGN
• PROGRAMME H
• MEN AS PEACE MAKERS
• PARTNERS FOR PREVENTION