Campaign highlights violence against women
INTERACTIVE PLATFORM AT JBR CREATES AWARENESS ABOUT MENTAL TRAUMA IN VIVID DETAIL
The Dubai Foundation for Women and Children (DFWAC) yesterday launched a three-day interactive platform to highlight the issue of violence against women which often occurs behind closed doors, with victims rarely speaking up.
The platform set up at Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR) inside an orange container invites visitors to a dark, cold room to listen to a five-minute heartwrenching account of a woman who is abused by her alcoholic husband.
The audio narrative, based on a true story, is done by an actor, but captures in vivid detail mental trauma faced by a woman from her abusive husband, a man everyone thought was an ideal partner. She had to always surrender to him and keep quiet for the good of her family, but at one point she tells listeners she decided to speak about it.
The touching and emotional soundtrack is part of the Orange Campaign to raise awareness of violence against women, under the slogan, “Speak Up! Silence Covers Violence.”
Helpline for women
It urges women to contact authorities and seek help by calling the helpline number, 800111.
Organised for the first time in the UAE, the campaign — which runs until this weekend — joins hands with the United Nations international campaign to stem violence against women.
“Seven out of 10 women experience violence in their lifetime, according to the UN,” said Fatima Al Falasi, the project manager, who was behind the concept. “Through this platform, we wanted to provoke people’s emotions by getting them inside the victim’s shoe and making them experience the pain she goes through for keeping silent,” she said.
Al Falasi said it might not always be them experiencing violence, but it could be someone they knew. “They can think about that person and encourage them to seek help. More women are speaking up about domestic violence, so it’s a good sign, but we still need to do more.”
Over 1,500 cases of domestic violence against women have been reported to the DFWC in the last seven years. The cases involved Dubai women residents over the age of 18, who are of various nationalities and have faced physical, emotional, or psychological domestic violence by men in their families.
Al Falasi added there is no country in the world which is free from violence against women. Over 600 million women live in countries where domestic violence is not yet considered a crime. “People need to identify signs and symptoms of abuse on the people they know, because there are some identifiable health effects including social ones. Our brochures are available for people to pick up and our foundation is there to provide immediate intervention, psychological help and shelter to women who suffer from domestic violence.”
Yesterday, many visitors walked out of the container in tears.
Al Falasi said a couple were both in tears because the wife remembered her abusive exhusband and her current husband remembered his mother being abused by his father when he was a child.
Shamma Al Falasi, who heard the soundtrack, said the session brought home the pain of victims vividly as she closed her eyes and listened.
“Although I haven’t experienced domestic violence, I felt her pain. If I knew someone who’s getting abused, I will not allow them to stay quiet,” she said.
Through this platform, we wanted to provoke people’s emotions by getting them inside the victim’s shoe and making them experience the pain she goes through for keeping silent.”
Fatima Al Falasi
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Project manager behind the idea
Touched by the experience
Madura Nayagam and his wife Sumithra were also touched by the experience and said: “It was a short presentation, but it got to us immediately. We are aware of such things and if we know someone we will help them.”
Orange lights are being lit up in JBR for residents to identify the campaign. Al Falasi said the container will be moving to other places in a few months.