To mark Nov. 25 — the United Nations-designated International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women — United Colors of Benetton will unveil a new institutional campaign on Monday evening during a lighting ceremony at the UN headquarters in New York.
Never shy about provocative imagery, Benetton has opted to support UN Women with a campaign showing a group of men stoning a young woman with a cascade of delicate orange flower petals — a reference to the Italian saying, “women should never be hit, not even with a flower.”
A statement from the fashion firm asserted that “women should no longer pay with discomfort, suffering or their lives, the choice to be themselves rather than what their partners, men, religion or society would like them to be.”
“We know that the pandemic of violence that affects one woman and one girl in three can be stopped. But we cannot do it alone. We need partners that can help us to sensitize [society] and promote a zero-tolerance culture towards this pervasive violation of human rights,” said UN Women executive director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, adding that Benetton’s campaign “supports our global efforts. We appreciate this commitment to the cause.”