THE BLOODY DATA: Turning taboo into action against femicides
In the midst of the pandemic, femicides and domestic violence cases reached alarming numbers. The Puerto Rico Section of … read moreAmnesty International (AIPR), a worldwide movement of people fighting against human rights abuses, decided to put the distressing data in front of the people to compel action. The result was The Bloody Data, a shocking campaign highlighting the statistical data on women who have bled from femicides in Puerto Rico during 2020. The campaign launched on November 25, International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
The twist? Menstrual blood remains a taboo in Puerto Rico and is considered by many to be repulsive. Still the bloodshed of women due to violence doesn’t generate such disgust. Amnesty presents de data using menstrual pads, cup and tampons, challenging viewers to rethink their bias and direct outrage to the only blood that should be disgusting: the blood spilled by gender violence.
“The campaign is undoubtedly a tool to continue to denounce and bring attention to the crisis of gender violence that the Island is experiencing. We wanted to impact the public in such a way that they felt called upon to support the claim for State of Emergency for Gender Violence has been going on for years,” declared the executive director of the AIPR, Liza Gallardo Martín.
Among the data presented by the campaign, which was collected thanks to the collaboration of the Gender Equity Observatory of Puerto Rico, the following stand out: 35% of women who bled from femicides in Puerto Rico were murdered in the privacy of their home, 58% bled from femicides with firearms, and 83% from domestic violence within the context of quarantine.
The campaign lived in print, outdoor, social media and www.thebloodydata.com, a website were ultimately you could sign a petition calling for an official stance from Puerto Rico’s government against gender violence.
“This campaign seeks to shake the structural machismo (toxic masculinity), both in Puerto Rico and Venezuela, using women's blood to present in its crudest form the data of the gender violence crisis. In turn, the graph serves as a mirror that forces us to ask ourselves 'What blood bothers me the most?'. A reflection that helped us move people to sign the petition that urged the government to take action for the increase in gender violence, femicides, and transphobic femicides in Puerto Rico and Latin America,” commented Aníbal E. Quiñones, VP of Innovation and Creativity of Arteaga & Arteaga.
The petition gathered hundreds of signatures and attracted support in more than 25 countries around the world and grabbed the attention of newspapers and online media. Two
months after its launch, Governor Pedro Pierluisi declared a State of Emergency for Gender Violence in Puerto Rico. The executive order prioritizes gender issues in all government agencies, calling for the implementation of comprehensive sexual education with gender perspective, a deep change in the police and judicial system to serve victims with dignity and allocates money from the national budget to address gender violence.
“Throughout the year, AIPR, together with hundreds of organizations, ensure that human rights are guaranteed to women and girls in Puerto Rico and our region of America and the Caribbean. On November 25, all these demands came together to raise their voices in unison with the strength and power that characterize defenders, activists, and all those braves who demand a full life, life in peace, and in short, life to live it. We are happy by the results of the campaign and most of all to leave a message very clear, that the only woman’s blood that is disgusting is the one that is spilled due to sexist violence” Gallardo Martín finished.
For more information about the AIPR, visit www.amnistiapr.org.
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