Drawing Out Discrimination

United Nations, Geneva, Switzerland

17-18 July 2013

"I want to say to you who think women cannot succeed, we have brought the government of England to this position, that it has to face this alternative: either women are to be killed or women have the vote."
Emmeline Pankhurst - Founder and leader of the British Suffragette Movement

University of The Arts London

photographs...

For Drawing Out Discrimination, the University is delighted to have worked with young people from Big Voice London to create flags for the UN Committee on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women. The young people have worked with artists/lectures Caroline Thomas, Christabell Harvey, Tracey Moberly and students Megan Pickering and Natascha Young from UAL to develop designs for their flags addressing what they believe to be the most important issues facing young women in Great Britain today.

Flag by Tracey Moberly

The imagery I have used within the flag incorporates the Amnesty International symbol for the FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) campaign along with a graphic that I devised communicating FGM and a wider interpretation on violence against women. I've created my flag imagery on this based on the UN Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination against Women's General Recommendation No. 14 (ninth session, 1990). This stipulates the encouragement of politicians, professionals, religious and community leaders at all levels, including the media and the arts, to co-operate in influencing attitudes towards the eradication of female circumcision. The recommendation calls to help appropriate and effect measures with a view to eradicating the practice of female circumcision. At least 66,000 women with FGM were estimated to be living in England and Wales following the 2001 census report. The census also identified around 21,000 girls aged eight or younger at high risk of FGM. It also found that more than 11,000 girls aged nine or over had a high probability of already having suffered FGM. This is a staggering amount of females in country where it is illegal in the UK to carry out the procedure, take a British citizen abroad to have the operation, or assist in carrying out FGM abroad, whether or not it is against the law in that country. FGM is not condoned by any religion.

University of the Arts London is Europe's largest university for art, design, fashion, communication and the performing arts. It is a federation of six internationally renowned colleges: Camberwell College of Arts, Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, Chelsea College of Art and design. London College of Communication, London College of Fashion and Wimbledon College of Art. University of the Arts London believes that widening participation to art and design higher education is essential to realising the University's vision of innovating and stimulating creativity and valuing diversity and respecting individuality. We are committed to developing strong links with schools and FE colleges with Greater London, whilst recognising our national and international leadership role in widening participation to the creative arts sector.

Big Voice London is a youth empowerment project closely supported by the UK Supreme Court to work with young people from marginalised backgrounds to explore issues of legal identity, human rights and the democratic legitimacy of the UK legal system. We help demystify the justice system and help young people from across London to work together and engage with legal policy. Over the past six months our International Law group has learned about International women's rights law and in particular CEDAW. Our participantshave heard from leading speakers on topics from the treatment of women in prison to gender and sexuality in the UK asylum system.

An accompanying book is available in memory of Emily Wilding Davison (1872-1913) semaphore booklet design www.supplestudio.com

Designweek: Supple Studio creates Drawing Out Discrimination campaign