Performance piece aims to highlight gender based violence statistics

A powerful performance piece will begin today in the window of a city gallery marking the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

Feminist artist, dinahvagina will be appearing over two days in the window of the Elysium Gallery overlooking Swansea High Street starting on today at 9am for 24 hours. The event will culminate in an artist talk on Tuesday 26 November at 7pm.

In England and Wales, police receive a call reporting domestic violence about every 30 seconds. On average, women reporting domestic violence to the police will have already suffered 35 attacks.

In the year ending March 2022, the police recorded 1,500,369 domestic abuse-related incidents and crimes. The number of domestic abuse-related crimes increased 7.7% compared to the previous year.

It is estimated that less than 24% of domestic abuse crime is reported to the police.

Pervasive

The performance will see dinah lining the window space with lengths of paper and marking the incidents constantly throughout the 24 period to illustrate the sheer scale of the problem.

According to the UN, violence against women and girls remains one of the most prevalent and pervasive human rights violations in the world.

Globally, almost one in three women have been subjected to physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both, at least once in their life.

In 2023, for over 51,000 women worldwide, the cycle of gender-based violence ended with one final and brutal act—their murder by partners and family members. That means a woman was killed every 10 minutes.

Campaign

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women will mark the launch of the UNiTE campaign (Nov 25- Dec 10) — an initiative of 16 days of activism concluding on the day that commemorates the International Human Rights Day (10 December).

This year’s campaign Every 10 Minutes, a woman is killed. #NoExcuse. UNiTE to End Violence against Women will draw attention to the alarming escalation of violence against women to revitalize commitments, call for accountability and action from decision-makers.

dinahvagina is an artist living and working in Wales. She makes a very diverse range of work using print, textiles, ceramics, paint and etc. inspired by the lives and deaths of women.

Often provocative, sometimes interactive, her pieces open a space for considering and discussing everything from female sexual agency and pleasure to domestic murder.

The event takes place from 9am today (25 November) at the Elysium Gallery, High Street, Swansea.