Tattoos are a form of body modification that usually represent special, and indelible memories with sentimental value, be it either happy or sad ones. A new public service announcement from Unicef UK creates a connection between these intentional markings and suffering that some children have to go through, which leaves them scarred throughout their whole lives with marks they don’t ask for. In a moving campaign video, we see longtime Unicef ambassador David Beckham lending his body in a fight to stop violence against children. In a dark new #ENDviolence spot we see the former football star and fashion icon, but the tattoos on his body aren’t the ones fans are used to seeing.
While Beckham’s own tattoos were those happy marks that represent important memories of his life, millions of children bear marks they have not chosen: the long-lasting scars of violence and abuse. Unfortunately, physical, sexual and emotional abuse is widespread with millions of children around the world experiencing violence in their homes, schools, online and in their communities. So, as shows Unicef’s latest PSA – which is also part of Beckham’s 7 Fund with Unicef — violence against children is not inevitable. It hopes to break the cycle of violence against boys and girls. The footballer has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for over ten years, launching 7: The David Beckham UNICEF Fund in 2015 which saw him make a commitment to helping the world’s most vulnerable children.
Although this campaign reminds us with efforts of another footballing superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic — who played a match with 50 names of hungry people tattooed on his body in a campaign for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) — there is never enough of such messages, as the one David Beckham says at the end of the video: “Violence against children marks them forever. It’s wrong. End it.”
According to Unicef “roughly one in 10 girls under the age of 20 have been subjected to sexual violence, and one child dies every five minutes because of violence.” And using UNICEF’s global messaging tool U-Report, David Beckham asked young people about their experiences with violence. More than 190,000 people from 22 countries responded. And 67 % of them (or someone they know) experienced violence (physical or verbal) in their community.
“Last year I visited Cambodia with Unicef where I met and listened to children tell me about terrible violence they have experienced. I was shocked by what I heard and I saw how violence can leave deep and lasting scars. No child should have to endure this … I hope this new project will draw attention to this urgent issue and inspire action,” Beckham said in a statement for Unicef.
“Violence and abuse take a terrible toll on children’s lives and futures—harming their bodies, undermining their emotional wellbeing, even interfering with the healthy development of their brains,” Anthony Lake, Unicef executive director, said in a statement. “When we protect children from violence, we prevent individual tragedies—and promote stronger, more stable societies. Thanks to powerful advocates like David Beckham, and fueled by the voices of children and young people themselves, we are building momentum for ending violence against children everywhere.”
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