Today, there are many issues that are arising within the world, and thanks to globalization and connecting via Internet, we are all aware of the world’s issues. Issues ranges from social, economic, to health and environmental issues, and they are always in the loop of being unable to resolve.
Some of the world issues that are of particular concern and interest to me are:
- Religious conflicts
- Economic / income inequality
- Obesity
- Sexual Abuse
Religious conflicts
Religious violence is a term that covers phenomena where religion is either the subject or the object of violent behaviour. Religious violence is, specifically, violence that is motivated by or in reaction to religious precepts, texts, or doctrines. This includes violence against religious institutions, people, objects, or events when the violence is motivated to some degree by some religious aspect of the target or by the precepts of the attacker. Religious violence does not refer exclusively to acts committed by religious groups, but includes acts committed by secular groups against religious groups.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jul/02/religion-wars-conflict
Income Inequality
The rich will always get richer and the poor will always be poor. Income inequality is an extreme concentration of wealth of income in the hands of a small percentage of a population. It has been described as the gap between the richest and the rest.
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/why-spore-gives-top-priority-to-fighting-income-inequality
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/inequality-is-a-threat-name-it-and-face-it
Obesity
Obesity is a medical condition described as excess body weight in the form of fat. When accumulated, this fat can lead to severe health impairments. The prevalence of obesity across the world continues to rise, and this is now recognised as one of the most important public health problems facing the world today.
https://medium.com/thrive-global/obesity-is-rising-at-alarming-rates-around-the-world-c13ffd0552bb
Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse is also referred to as molestation. It is usually undesired sexual behaviour by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. There are various acts which falls under this term, such as domestic violence, marital rape, child sexual abuse. It is also common between people with dementia, development disabilities and elders.
Out of the various issues mentioned, sexual abuse is an issue which is of particular interest to me.
WHY IS THIS ISSUE IMPORTANT?
Sexual abuse is a very important issue to me as it is actually more common than it seems, but many do not dare to speak up about. It does happen more frequently in females, and they are often more than afraid to mention due to factors such as shame, embarrassment, laughed at, and not taken seriously. Even in males, they might seem to be on a losing end when they come up about being sexually abused by females, as people always assume men to be the “horny” one. Sexual abuse affects the emotional wellbeing and state of mind of the victim, which gets overlooked by others. I feel that even up till this date, people are still slightly insensitive when it comes to the topic of being sexually abused.
WHO DO YOU NEED TO COMMUNICATE TO
My target audience are people who had experienced any form of sexual abuse before. I hope that they will be able to share their story with others, in a way creating more awareness about the issue, and also by helping themselves mentally to feel more comfortable and start their healing process.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/sep/29/sexual-assault-survivors-what-to-say
HOW HAS VISUAL COMMUNICATION CONTRIBUTED
There are various organizations specifically for sexual abuse and they have created campaigns.
In Singapore, we have AWARE – Association of Women for Action and Research. Very often, they come up with campaigns to address sexual abuse issues.
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The Truth Project, UK, where people share their experiences of child sexual abuse.
A Toronto artist, Hana Shafi, aka Frizz kid, works with art healing for sexual abuse.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/talking-about-trauma/201809/using-art-heal-sexual-assault
https://studentlife.ryerson.ca/art-heals-an-intervention-in-sexual-violence/
“I Don’t Owe You” – Avalon Sexual Assault Centre, Canada
Amongst all the visual research that I found, there is a very common aim amongst all of them – to address sexual abuse. The colours used are also very vibrant, which in a way gives off a positive vibe, letting viewers know that sexual abuse should be spoken about, not kept within. They also have very engaging text and information on it.
Till then,
Flazéda!
jamz
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