Crimes Behind The Veil

     Last week, Saudi Arabian masses were introduced to their first ever anti-abuse advertisement ... And it's one of the best advertisements I have ever seen. It features a woman wearing a niqab, and from underneath you can see that she has been given a black eye.
     This ad, which is sponsored by the King Khalid Foundation, helps to shed light on the problem of violence against women in a country where women's rights aren't necessarily a priority. The 2012 Global Gender Gap Report, which ranks countries based on gender disparities, ranked Saudi Arabia 131 out of 135 countries, overall. (Iceland placed first. Yemen placed last. And, if you are wondering, the United States ranked 22, overall).

     Many people have called this the beginning of an anti-domestic-violence campaign, but I beg to differ. The King Khalid Foundation, and the agency behind this ad, went so much further with this advertisement. Although the original ad is in Arabic, having it read "Fighting Women's Abuse Together," crosses all lines, to all relationships - father/daughter, husband/wife, brother/sister ... uncles, bosses, any member of the male sex with (or without authority, really) in Saudi.
     This could be the start of something big in Saudi Arabia. I would assume that a lot of crimes against women go unreported in the country because women are uninformed about where to go to for help. And, as for the people who commit the acts of abuse, they probably think that they are home free because they believe their crimes will never be reported. Well, hopefully this will be the start of a change.

It took a long, long time to get here. It took a brave, brave girl to try. It took one too many excuses, one too many lies. Don't be surprised, don't be surprised if I talk a little louder, if I speak up when you're wrong, if I walk a little taller, I've been under you too long. If you noticed that I'm different, don't take it personally. Don't be mad, it's just the brand new kind of me. That ain't bad, I found a brand new kind of free. (Brand New Me, Alicia Keys)