“Sexual violence against women and girls is rooted in centuries of male domination,” said Secretary-General António Guterres. This statement is reflected in numbers: According to a UN study, one in three ladies experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. “All of this must change… now,” he added.

The Women’s Foundation (TWF) agrees and so it launched a campaign to raise awareness of sexual violence and encourage women to speak with someone when something like this happens to them. According to the Foundation, one in seven ladies in Hong Kong are victims of some form of sexual assault. Yet, most of them, around 90%, decide to keep silent. This happens even at the workplace, where over a quarter of women say that this is one of the many challenges they have to face at their job.

Coinciding with the Sexual Assault Awareness Month, the NGO’s campaign made with the help of creative minds at Wunderman Thompson Hong Kong, addresses victims of violence, assuring them that it does whatever it takes to change the legislation, employment policies, and the education curriculum.

People tend to trust statistics, as numbers tell us about the health of our society. But have you ever stopped and actually looked at these numbers? These are people you are looking at. Human beings who suffered a form of aggression and who later became a statistic. These numbers represent people. Humans who matter. Therefore, it is self-evident why the NGO wants to #MakePeopleCount.

To trigger people’s empathy regarding this sad reality, the two partners made a short movie for which they worked with female award-winning director, Yan Yan Mak. The filmmaker helped them spread the word by creating an emotive video, in which the focus is on sexual violence and where it takes place.

“Too often, people hear statistics but don’t stop and think about how these numbers represent real people. By producing this short film, we hope to shine a light on the issue of sexual violence that people can’t ignore, which spurs them into action,” said Yan Yan Mak.

Fiona Nott, CEO of The Women’s Foundation, said: “Sexual violence is a silent yet pervasive epidemic affecting Hong Kong. Most worryingly, although it’s happening every day, victims face a number of barriers in reporting and the overwhelming majority choose not to speak out about the crime.”

Several organizations and groups have joined this initiative to stop sexual abuse. Yet, in the event that such a thing happens, victims can access the campaign’s webpage, where they can find plenty of resources, including legal and mental health contacts.

Credits:

Client: The Women’s Foundation

Agency: Wunderman Thompson Hong Kong

Filmmaker: Yan Yan Mak