PRESS RELEASE
AWA launches the campaign against sexual harassment and sexual violence “I Speak” The play “The Gate of Speech” with a focus on sexual abuse is presented in Shijak.
Shijak, December 6, 2023 – With the commencement of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, AWA Albanian Woman in Audiovisual is pleased to announce the launch of the campaign against harassment and sexual violence titled “I Speak.” Recognizing that understanding sexual violence and harassment is not an easy process in Albania, AWA has decided to break the taboos and encourage the denunciation of this phenomenon through audiovisual forms, such as street theater, podcasts, and outdoor communications.
The campaign, which kicked off in the Municipality of Shijak with a Round Table in the Municipality involving members of the Referral Mechanism, ZVA, and school psychologists, was welcomed by Ms. Monica Merino, Permanent Representative, UNDP Albania, and the Mayor of Shijak, Mr. Elton Arbana.
The performance of the play “The Gate of Speech,” directed by Ema Andreas in the city of Shijak, aimed to provoke awareness messages about understanding that sexual harassment is not just a crime against girls and women but against society as a whole. Ms. Valbona Sulçe, representing AWA, explained the purpose of this campaign in her speech:
“Although sexual harassment and violence are not only among the most widespread forms of violence against women and girls, it remains one of the least reported and denounced due to attitudes that blame girls and women for this crime. Sexual harassment is normalized as behavior in our public spaces, such as streets, public transportation, schools, workplaces, because society does not consider this inappropriate behavior as harassment. On the other hand, survivors of sexual assault hesitate to tell their stories because society will not believe them and will prejudge them. We want to give a voice to these stories and educate young people that sexual harassment is violence. Over the next 10 months, AWA is committed to fostering community discussions about this phenomenon through art and audiovisual tools, such as street theater today, the podcast series ‘I Speak’ with stories of survivors of harassment or sexual assault that will continue alongside raising awareness among public transport operators for zero tolerance against sexual harassment on bus lines in the Municipality of Tirana.”
Throughout the event, attendees had the opportunity to receive information about the role of the Referral Mechanism against harassment and sexual violence, as well as the self-defense program in schools, implemented by the ESD Albania Foundation.
This activity is organized by AWA in collaboration with UNDP, within the framework of the United Nations Joint Program “We Put an End to Violence Against Women,” funded by the Government of Sweden.
For more information or questions, please follow and contact us through our social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and our email address awa.albania@gmail.com.
