Sixteen Days of Activism against Domestic Violence campaign was inaugurated in Gozo by Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri, together with Mikiel Anton Vassalli College head Victor Galea and Gozo Visual and Performing Art School head Vince Caruana.

Sixteen artworks are on display along Republic Street in Victoria, with an art piece added each day of the campaign. Through words and images, the artworks present a strong social commitment against domestic violence. They have been created by digital art students under the vision and coordination of digital art teacher Shawn Cauchi.

During the opening ceremony, the minister said: “The campaign is meant to bring a message to anyone passing through circumstances of domestic violence, empowering them to take action and make decisive steps to get help.”

Talking to the students about their excellent work, the minister said that as years went by, digital art was being recognised more and more as an art in its own right. Its many uses allow to communicate directly to the viewer in a mix of text and images that was powerful and immediate.

Cauchi said: “The project took over two months to realise. Each of the 16 panels deals with a different aspect of gender-based violence, with the idea of lending a hand to the victims of such abuse. Its visual inspiration comes from pop art, while the colours of the artworks are centred on this year’s international theme ‘Orange the World: End Violence against Women Now!’.”

Sixteen Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence is an annual international campaign that kicked off on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and runs until December 10, Human Rights Day. It was started by activists at the inauguration of the Women’s Global Leadership

Institute in 1991 and continues to be coordinated each year by the Centre for Women’s Global Leadership.