Independent Media relaunches #DontLookAway campaign

DON’T Look Away! When IOL reports story after story about women and children being murdered or raped, we ask you please, Don’t Look Away. Acknowledge the life that has been cut short so abruptly or altered so brutally. Help women and children who experience violence to seek help.

Last December, Independent Media launched the Don’t Look Away campaign to run parallel to the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children campaign. Our campaign recently took second place at the International News Media Association Global Media Awards in New York for best use of video.

In the light of the ongoing violence against women and children, we’ve resurrected the Don’t Look Away campaign today, six months early. We pledge to stand up against abuse and lend our voices in the fight to end violence against women and children. We encourage you to do the same.

We again call on people to paint their index finger with orange nail polish or wear something orange to show support. Orange is the colour identified by the UN to symbolise a brighter future without violence. We at IOL will not look away.

We hope that by reporting on these heinous crimes, we give a voice to the victim. We hope by reporting on their families’ grief, we turn their loss into more than a statistic. We hope by reporting on the perpetrators, they will never be given a chance to hurt another person.

We hope that by speaking to individuals and organisations who are promoting safety in communities, reducing trauma experienced by victims, promoting gender equality, and working to strengthen the criminal justice system, we are telling those living in fear there is help and hope. So join us, #DontLookAway. – Staff Reporter