Press Release: The United Nations in Ukraine and the Wild Theater present NEW SCARS, an interactive theater project against gender-based violence
The New Scars collected real stories of Ukrainian women which reveal their physical and mental wounds that cannot not heal. Through various art formats, viewers will be able to view these stories performed on theater or on television, and get a chance to co-create their own theatrical performance in an interactive game format with multiple endings. The project is part of the global campaign 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.Date:
In Ukraine and worldwide, gender-based violence is widespread and systematic, worsening further during the COVID-19 pandemic. Almost half (49 per cent) of women in Ukraine say they have experienced sexual harassment.[ii] Under quarantine, the number of calls to the National Hotline for the Prevention of Domestic Violence has doubled. [iii]
The New Scars project is about violence that may be difficult to acknowledge but leaves the survivor in an everlasting pain for many years. Violence can have different manifestations: psychological, economic, physical, sexual. The fear and shame of being stigmatized as survivors of violence force women and girls to remain silent. Only acknowledging the problem and hearing voices of survivors can make society fund, respond, prevent and collect data to eliminate violence against women and girls.
The premiere of the performance New Scars took place on 25 November at Dovzhenko center. The interactive game version of the play will be available for the audience on the website https://scars.org.ua/en/. The performance will be available on TV UA: Culture and streaming service MEGOGO.
Stories of "scars" were collected by the playwright Kira Malinina, director Natalka Syvanenko and artists Lesya Golovach, Masha Ryapulova and Lida Soklakova who also worked on the script of the play.
The cast of the performance includes Anna Kuzina, Anna Abramyonok, Anna Serdyuk, Marina Serdeshnyuk and Rimma Zubina.
“As the pandemic takes a foothold, we are witnessing increased rates of gender-based violence in public spaces in addition to domestic violence. You have a role to play. Everyone can make a difference and support women and girl survivors of violence to stay safe and free of violence, make sure judicial systems continue to prosecute abusers, create safe ways for women to seek support, and more,” says Osnat Lubrani, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine.
"New Scars is impressive because it is based on real stories shared with us by women of all ages from different parts of the country. These are stories full of pain and despair but everyone who watch the play will understand, there is a way out," says Yaroslava Kravchenko, founder of the Wild Theater, advocate of the HeForShe movement in Ukraine.
In support of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, led by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the UNiTE to End Violence against Women Campaign (UNiTE) calls for global action to increase awareness, galvanize advocacy efforts, and share of knowledge and innovations. In recent years, the UNiTE campaign has utilized the color orange to represent a brighter future, free from violence against women and girls, as a unifying theme running through its global activities.
In support to the movement against gender-based violence, we encourage everyone to step up and share the stories against violence on social media and choose an orange item of clothing, make-up or accessory for photos and videos. Please hashtag your voice with #16days #новішрами #шрами and the @un_ukraine tag.
Calendar of events of the project "New Scars":
- November 25 - launch of the interactive play at https://scars.org.ua/
- November 25 20:00 - premiere Kyiv, Scene 6, Vasylkivska, 1 (Dovzhenko Center)
- November 25 20:00 - broadcast of the play on the UN YouTube channel in Ukraine
- November 29 22:05 - broadcast of the performance on UA:Culture and MEGOGO
Why this problem matters? Please explore facts in the set of infographic with fact and figures about the issue of gender-based violence in Ukraine.
The trailer of the play - link
For media requests, please contact Narmina Strishenets
narmina.strishenets@unwomen.org +380 (50) 425 79 30
[i] OSCE-led survey on violence against women: Ukraine Well-being and safety of women, 2019 https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/1/3/440312_0.pdf
[ii] The Prosecutor General’s Office, Ukraine, 2019
[iii] UNFPA 2020, https://ukraine.unfpa.org/en/news/unsafe-home-how-ministry-internal-affairs-ukraine-counteracts-domestic-violence-under