Source: Courtesy

On November 25, while seminars, write ups and small activation programmes were organised in parts of the country to observe the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, a group of young change makers in Dhaka decided to bring more colour to the whole idea, literally.

Radio Shadhin 92.4 fm, initiated a campaign to raise awareness leading up to the International Day of Elimination of Violence against Women and as part of the campaign, attractive faces of young women were painted on three walls in three busy locations of Dhaka, Bangladesh (Progoti Sharani, Arambag and Banani 11) in three days. "It took us some time to look for walls where we would be able to do the artwork and then break parts of them," says Quratul Ayin Shohel, a senior art director at Asiatic. "After we found three, we began to work on them. Each wall took up a whole day." The project is said to be his brainchild.

Talented artists were brought in to paint the faces on empty walls and after having painted them, parts of the walls were broken to imitate wounds with a message written beside the portraits: You Can Mend This Wall, But Not Her Wound. People reacted to the scene of beautiful lively faces being battered immediately after being painted with absolute horror.

Images and videos of this event took various social media platforms by storm, as they were shared with the hashtag #RiseUpForWomen.

As a part of the campaign, Radio Shadhin broadcasted shows that allowed women to call in live and share their stories with listeners and a legal counselor, giving them the opportunity to raise their voices and be heard. Radio Shadhin is also allowing people to volunteer their walls to have similar portraits painted on them.