10 Dec Spotlight | UN | International Day of Human Rights

This International Day of Human Rights (December 10) marks the end to an impactful 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence, as part of The UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE by 2030 to End Violence against women campaign. Poingnently, the activism started on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (Nov 25). 

Agency MullenLowe in New York worked with the UN to execute the campaign. The installation consists of billboards with large capitalized writing on top of a heavily blurred image. These images are meant to depict three violent acts that are illegal to display in America but still legal to act on in many countries across the world:

• A photo of a man beating his wife. 
• A photo of female genital mutilation. 
• A photo of a man raping his wife

An example billboard reads: “This is a photo of a man beating his wife. It’s illegal for us to show it. But in 35 countries, it’s not illegal to do it.”

The agency’s approach is direct, emotive and thought provoking, prompting spectators to think about the differences in access to basic human rights when compared to other countries around the world – raising awareness about this important topic.