Media release

For immediate release

20 November 2009

Butterflies to paint a call for action this White Ribbon Day

A stunning transformation from human to butterfly will be unveiled at Butterfly Creek, Auckland, next Tuesday (24 November) at 11:15am, in a call for action against violence this White Ribbon Day.

Award-winning body paint artist Yolanda Bartram of Bodyfx has created a living artwork to help Amnesty International raise awareness about the 200,000 women forced into sexual slavery by Japanese soldiers during World War II, euphemistically known as “comfort women”.

“For more than six decades ‘Comfort Women’ have waited for an adequate apology and compensation for the atrocities they faced. But with these women now aged in their 80s time is running out,” says Margaret Taylor, Amnesty International Aotearoa NZ’s Activism Support Manager.

“Butterflies are the symbol of hope for ‘Comfort Women’ and this body art seeks to highlight that all victims of violence deserve justice, no matter how long the wait, no matter how powerful the perpetrator.”

“Like many survivors of abuse, ‘Comfort Women’ were silent for long years about what abuse they had suffered.  White Ribbon Day is all about breaking the silence, speaking out and saying ‘It’s not ok’,” says Taylor.

It’s why Amnesty International is asking Kiwis to support that call by wearing a white ribbon here at home and also to take action for positive change globally.

Photo-call:  11.15am, Tuesday 24 November. The Butterfly House @ Butterfly Creek, Tom Pearce Drive, Auckland Airport.  

Background

Yolanda Bartram is an award winning body artist at Bodyfx studio based in Auckland.  Most recently she won the Special Effects face painting award at the World Body Painting Festival in Austria and she will be competing in the hand-painting section at America’s largest body painting competition in Las Vegas in February next year.  She has won numerous awards both nationally and internationally and the Bodyfx team has also provided make-up, special effects and costumes for numerous short films and documentaries.  Yolanda generously donated all of her time for free for this photo-call.

Amnesty International Campaigning focus

Amnesty International is a supporting organisation of White Ribbon Day (25 November) - the international day when people wear a white ribbon to show that they do not condone violence towards women. That day also kicks off the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence, which runs until 10 December – International Human Rights Day. These dates underline that violence against women is a grave abuse of human rights.

The organisation is focusing on two areas this year:

“Comfort women”

Japan has still to adequately apologise or compensate surviving former ‘Comfort Women’ in what is the world’s largest case of sexual trafficking involving some 200,000 women, only half of whom survived World War II.

Amnesty International is urging New Zealand Prime Minister John Key and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to call on the Japanese Government to officially recognise, apologise and provide compensation for these women.

New Zealand and Australia are among the few allied nations from World War II to pass such a resolution.  (The USA, UK, Netherlands and Canada have all done so). As Asia-Pacific leaders who have led by example when it comes to apologising for past wrongs, Mr Key and Mr Rudd can speak out and bring pressure to bear on the new Japanese Government.

Papua New Guinea (PNG)

Violence against women in PNG is widespread, with police statistics revealing a 24% increase in reported rape cases between 2007 and 2008. Yet most perpetrators of violence against women are never arrested and a lack of resources and political will means women rarely find help, forcing them and their children into poverty.

Through its new Demand Dignity campaign, Amnesty is demanding an end to the human rights abuses which drive and deepen poverty. For women, poverty is both a consequence and cause of violence. Violence helps keep women poor, and it is women living in poverty who are most exposed to violence.

For more info on Amnesty’s work to stop violence against women, visit www.amnesty.org.nz/our-work/stop-violence-against-women

ENDS

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