Wishes: Someone in your life

45% of women in the UK experience sexual assault, domestic violence or stalking. That's practically one in every two women subjected to violence simply for being a woman. But numbers are too abstract; too easy to ignore. So here's what I want you to do. Walk into a room, any room, and count the women. Now try to imagine that half of those women in the room with you, half of any arbitrary group of women, will have experienced horrific acts of gender-based violence at some point in their life. Think of the women in your life: your mother, your sister, your partner, your daughter, your best friend. Half of them have or will at some point experience violence because they are women. This not about some abstract 45%, some women "out there". This is about someone in your life.

This is my artwork for Someone In Your Life which aims to give women a space to speak out and tell their stories so that they no longer live in silence and shame; so that we can all look beyond the stereotypes; so that other women know they are not alone; and so that we all begin to understand the horrific impact gender-based violence is having on individual women and society as a whole.

I actually like to play with my ideas a lot. As a person, I am fond of seeing Chinese lanterns - the colors and the flame that gives them a bright glow always fascinate me. Whenever I see Chinese Lanterns floating in the deep, dark sky, I always end up having the serene and calm feeling which make me dream so much and think of the many things that I'd like to achieve. Their carefree movement in the wide horizon influences me a lot that no matter what happens, life is giving you lots of things to experience and it's up to us to see the beauty in those things.

This artwork speaks so much about my support for the campaign. When I read the letter of invitation for this campaign, I did not have second thoughts on joining the team.

In the artwork, you'll see a little girl staring at the beautiful lanterns in the sky, hoping that she'll get the same feeling that I always feel whenever I see one floating in the sky. Those lanterns symbolize our hopes and support to those who need our love, care, understanding with my prayers that they will gain back their courage, strength and peace in their minds and hearts so they'll experience the freedom to enjoy life.

Those words were written on the lanterns because no matter where we are, they will always have our wishes for them, and that, one day, they will be able to grasp all those things. Let's keep on making a big step for them <3

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