Where are the Painters and Poets? This opportunity is specifically for you guys. UNESCO Abuja under the European Union (EU)-United Nations (UN) Spotlight Initiative in Nigeria: To eliminate violence against women and girls is bringing the National Art Competition with the theme “Sheroes”.
The Human Development Report 2016 ranks Nigeria 118 out of 134 countries on the Gender Equality Index. This translates an unbalanced inclusion of women and girls’ perspectives in policy-making decisions, resource allocation and implementation in economic and social sectors, all of which increases challenges to the advancement of gender equality. The negative social and cultural norms that condone or perpetuate Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) and Harmful Practices (HPs) remain pervasive.
According to the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) 2013, about 30% of women aged 15-49 have reported experiences of sexual abuse, with a marked divide between urban (33%) and rural (24%) areas. It is also estimated in the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2016-2017 that 23 million girls and women were engaged in child marriages and about 25% of women and girls have undergone female genital mutilation.
This situation is worsen in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, the risk of VAWG may be in the rise due to several complementary factors, such as the increased isolation of potential victims due to social distancing and quarantine, a shift in priorities among frontline services including rule of law and health facilities, and a possible shift in resources allocation, for example through the repurposing of shelters for health facilities.
In this regard, UNESCO specially designs a national art competition under the theme of “Sheroes”. This competition is aimed at raising awareness about VAWG/SGBV/HP among the public, and to support the zero-tolerance-of-violence environment promoted by the Spotlight Initiative, with a view to support long-term recovery and social inclusion of women and girl survivors through arts and with an additional effect of relieving the increasing social tension exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. To be more concrete, this competition calls for two categories of artworks: painting and poetry, representing attitudes, visions, expressions and messages against VAWG/SGBV/HP and/or demonstrating the contributions and resilience of women and girls within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. The selected artworks must demonstrate deep visual and spiritual experience of the author on the issue of VAWG/SGBV/HP and equally inspire the audience. Get all the details you need here.
