Our Work
One of the most prevalent human rights violations in the world, gender-based violence knows no social, economic or national boundaries. It undermines the health, dignity, security and autonomy of survivors. And it remains shrouded in a culture of silence, supported by cultural beliefs and values that sustain, justify or dismiss it as an ordinary component of male-female relationships.
Human Rights Actives’ and Artist Damayanthi Muthukumarange has been awarded "1in3," a groundbreaking initiative funded by Arts Council England (ACE) to address the critical issues of gender-based violence, domestic violence, and sexual harassment. The project's name, "1in3," underscores the alarming statistic that one in every three women will experience some form of gender-based violence in their lifetime.
STOP GENDER BASE VIOLENCE
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Domestic violence.
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Gender discrimination.
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Sexual abuse.
1IN3
Inclusivity:
While the focus often centers on women, "1in3" recognizes that gender-based violence affects men and LGBTQ+ individuals as well. Research reveals that one in six men will face sexual violence in their lifetime, and LGBTQ+ individuals experience significantly higher rates of intimate partner violence, with nearly half reporting such encounters.
Project Activities:
"1in3" aims to create a series of artistic workshops led by professional artists. These workshops are designed to provide a safe and supportive environment where participants can explore and express their experiences and perspectives on gender-based violence through art.
Funding and Support:
Thanks to the generous support from ACE, all expenses related to the workshops will be covered. This includes artists' fees, materials, and goody bags for follow-up work, ensuring that participants have everything they need to engage fully in the creative process.
Exhibition:
The artworks produced during these sessions will culminate in a public exhibition at the Mander Center in Wolverhampton, scheduled for October or November. This exhibition will serve as a powerful platform to raise awareness, foster dialogue, and promote understanding of gender-based violence and its profound impact on individuals and communities.
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Conclusion:
"1in3" is not just an art project; it is a call to action, a community effort to shed light on the pervasive issue of gender-based violence. By engaging participants in meaningful artistic expression and bringing these conversations to the public sphere, we aim to drive change and support those affected by these critical issues. We look forward to your participation and support in making a significant impact through art.
FEEL AT HOME – Murch 2022 to August 2022
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Human Right Actives’ and Artist Damayanthi Muthukumarange has been awarded
Arts Council National Lottery Project Grants funding for her project ‘Feel at Home in Wolverhampton’ in which she wants to get people thinking about what makes
Wolverhampton feels like home.
Damayanthi has been living in Wolverhampton for four years and said she has been made to feel very welcome and happy in Wolverhampton, she loves the diverse communities, friendly people, and the city itself. She is delighted that this funded project will allow her to share her love of the city through her running creative workshops in Wolverhampton libraries and local spaces. She hopes to encourage other people to explore what makes Wolverhampton feel like home.
The project will include other artists from Wolverhampton responding to this theme to create an exhibition of work which she hopes the public will also contribute to by making creative responses. She would like some of the work to be ready for National Refugee Week 20th -26th June.
As part of her newly funded project
Damayanthi, herself a refugee, will be creating two booklets about how to feel at home in Wolverhampton will be available in local libraries and as eBooks for anyone to access. The project, which is beginning now, will be completed on 20th August.
Things pledged to include within the project to fulfill the Arts Council Remit.
I am working with people who are migrants and refugees, and many will be women, some will bring children with them. We are trying to use visual creative expression rather than language to discover if we feel at home, what makes us feel at home, and why we have made our home in Wolverhampton. The activities will give a means of expression to those involved and pride when their work is exhibited, and their stories illustrated in booklets. The booklets will enable others to see they are not alone and that others have gone through similar things when trying to make their home in a new country and what they can do in their new hometown.
Wolverhampton Council, project
Main requirements:
o Project description on application form indicating practical activities, action plan, anticipated
outcomes, project outputs/participant numbers and partnership arrangements.
o All activities must be delivered in the Wolverhampton Council area.
Key objectives:
o Language sharing
o Group conversations
o Integration/Social/Cultural skills
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Suggested Activities:
Targeting of and engagement with migrants User-friendly information and signposting to community-based support including cultural interests, mental health, home learning, housing, domestic abuse, physical well-being, family services, employment, welfare rights, etc. o Identify gaps in mainstream services and support to determine and address the immediate need, medium-term impact, and recovery planning for pandemic/lockdown Online and, where feasible in-person engagement/group workshops Skills development for accessing community-based projects and services.
It’s our right project
2001- 2002
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MI Friendly Cities – Social Innovation Projects Network (West Midlands)
We know that most refugees can’t speak English and find written English well. So have no idea about rights and legislation. Some information is online but very lengthy and hard to read. Lots of refugees are not coming out, because they don’t see many positive stories from their own community. Lots of women are suffering from reproductive health and domestic violence. So they are hiding things and people are getting away with things. So we are using cartoons.
Publish four books and posters to educate people about refugee rights, domestic violence, reproductive health, and same-sex rights. As refugees, we know as a fact that refugees' knowledge of their own rights and how to address bad situations in their own lives is poor. The information may be online but it is not attractive, it’s 10-15 pages long, so we decided to produce a simple version of the rights, and fundamental
rights. Especially for women, domestic violence, and sexual health, people try to hide things, and we want to normalize them to show they can talk about things. We will point to support.
Focus on the refugee community, but its general idea of women’s fundamental rights, domestic violence, and sexual health – so will benefit everyone. We will also discuss HIV etc., not only refugees.
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