“My body is my own” – UNFPA and UN Women launch art initiative with youth in Albania to promote bodily autonomy

UNFPA and UN Women launched the campaign "My body is my own", which comes to Albania as a new art initiative aiming to raise awareness on bodily autonomy, gender equality, gender-based violence and antidiscrimination.

The initiative aims to engage young girls and boys from all around Albania, fond of photography and illustration, by using their artworks to convey messages and help spark a conversation around this theme. The first stage will bring these young people together with experts and professional artists in workshops to enhance their knowledge on bodily autonomy, gender equality and gender-based violence, and develop their artistic skills in photography and illustration.The workshops will be conducted by professional photographer Anna Ehrenstein and prominent art lecturers and artists, Ardian Isufi and Harri Aleksi. Psychologists and social workers Izela Tahsii and Anila Sulstarova will also provide a social and psychological perspetive of the topics, to make young people dwell more on the causes and how to best address such sensitive topics without any prejudice or viewed from a positive solution-oriented perspective.

The acquired skills will then be used into artwork which will strive to give impactful messages and an appeal for empowered and informed choices about one's body, without any fear of coercion or violence.

The artworks will be showcased in three exhibitions around Albania during the "16 Days Against Gender-Based Violence" campaign, running from 25 November to 10 December. The best three artworks from each category, photography and illustration, will be selected and awarded prizes by a jury of experts.

The initiative aims to expand on concepts around bodily autonomy and gender equality to make them more tangible for the broader society and to help break down harmful practices and stereotypes that continue to prevail.

“My body is my own” initiative is being organized as part of a UN Joint Programme on ending violence against women and girls in Albania, supported by the Government of Sweden and implemented by UNFPA, UN Women and UNDP.