During the early years of any child’s life, every experience is a milestone that aids in shaping his or her lifelong personality. While parenting is a difficult task, sadly, being a kid raised in a dysfunctional family is often a more complicated chore.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is well-known across the globe for its relentless attempts to protect children from domestic violence, among other dangers. This year, the non-profit organisation has launched a new campaign in collaboration with various influential entities and individuals to strive for better conditions for childhood everywhere.
Jude Benhalim is a leading name in the local fashion industry, despite her relatively young age. Over the course of a few back-to-back seasons, Benhalim has managed to stand for women through the art of wearable poetry. Her statement jewelry is a fine weapon that she uses to empower women as she depends on powerful quotes and catchy designs.
After successfully showering the region with her iconic bullets, the designer has recently collaborated with the UNICEF to fight for safe childhood and violence-free environment for kids in Egypt.
“Sadly, the statistics on the frequency of child abuse in Egypt are shocking and this campaign aims to go viral to end child abuse in Egypt,” said Benhalim.
(Photo from Facebook)
“Awladna”, our children, is a national campaign that aims to raise further awareness regarding child abuse in all its forms. In addition to the UNICEF and Jude Benhalim designs, the campaign is organised under the auspices of the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM) with funding from the European Union (EU).
Walking the same line of her bestsellers, Benhalim designed a limited-edition bracelet to increase related awareness and speak to a fashion-focused audience. The bracelet was also sent to a number of influencers that represent a fair share of the local fashion community.
“Bringing together the power of the fashion world to contribute to the campaign helps spread awareness on a crucial cause,” said the designer.
(Photo from Facebook)
With that said the designer, along with her team, strongly believes in the extended power of social media stars. “Many of the influencers in Egypt are role models to their followers, and spreading the message through them will definitely make a change,” said Benhalim.
The bracelet highlights Benhalim’s aesthetic through mixing silver with semi-precious stones and leather. Meanwhile, it also carries her signature appreciation of geometrical shapes and engraved lyrics; #EndViolence; the campaign’s official hashtag.
Furthermore, the bracelet is distributed with a card that unfolds a few shocking statistics regarding child abuse in order to fully highlight the importance of this particular cause under the headline “Shocking, isn’t it”.
According to the Demographic and Health Survey published by the Ministry of Health in 2014, 93% of children between the ages of 1 to 14 in Egypt were exposed to either physical or psychological violence at home. Meanwhile, 78% of the mentioned children were subject to physical punishment and 43% lived through severe physical abuse.
(Photo from Facebook)
“The UNICEF recognises the dire need for promoting positive discipline at the level of the family, school, and community as part of an integrated national programme to End Violence against Children (EVAC) in Egypt, which is also a global commitment for the UNICEF,” according to Bruno Maes, UNICEF representative in Egypt. He added that “this national campaign is anticipated to reach millions of people thanks to the leadership of the NCCM and the support of the EU, the commitment of the civil society, and the contributions by the private sector.”
This campaign is a subsidiary of the UNICEF’s global campaign, End Violence, in support for children rights. The campaign was first launched via social media in June 2016 and is currently being aired on various TV and radio channels, along with mega outdoor billboards.
Benhalim’s contribution targets a different segment that appreciates art and fashion. Meanwhile, it further highlights the true essence of her goal: to use fashion and jewellery to empower individuals and help women and children-related causes.
Collaborating with creative fashion designers is a global trend on the rise as fashion has proven to be a successful medium for various causes. Meanwhile, timeless items, such as jewellery, are a constant reminder and elaborate advocate that women can carry around in style.
”Jude Benhalim has contributed a creative input to the campaign with a great passion and initiative,” Dalia Abu Senna, partnerships and private sector specialist at UNICEF Egypt stated. She added: “We value this new partnership with Jude Benhalim’s jewellery and thank Jude for the beautifully designed bracelet that we expect will create a good digital hype serving the campaign’s reach.”
The campaign’s official hashtag currently has more than 28,000 posts on Instagram; including the viral campaign featuring famed football player David Beckham, as well as many inspirational children that have survived various forms of violence.
