Look Beyond Borders

Amnesty International launched a new video showing recently-arrived refugees and Europeans who look into each other's eyes for four minutes.

"The video, Look Beyond Borders, is based on a theory that four minutes of uninterrupted eye contact increases intimacy. Amnesty International Poland and Polish ad agency DDB&Tribal applied the theory, developed by psychologist Arthur Aron in 1997, to the refugee crisis, sitting refugees from Syria and Somalia opposite people from Belgium, Italy, Germany, Poland and the UK, with overwhelmingly positive results." (via)



“We decided to conduct a simple experiment during which refugees and Europeans sat across from each other and looked each other in the eyes. We recorded these very human encounters and the short film speaks for itself. People from different continents who have literally never set eyes on each other before come away feeling an amazing connection.” 
Draginja Nadażdin, Director of Amnesty International Poland.

“We conducted the experiment in Berlin because the city symbolizes the overcoming of divisions. In that sense, the most important thing is to give people time to understand each other better and get to know one another.”
Hanna Waśko, a campaign organiser from ad agency Big Picture.

Torture

"Once governments use or allow torture, no one is safe. Almost anyone can be a victim, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or politics. (...)

However, some individuals and groups are more vulnerable than others. (...) People belonging to a particular religious or other minority group, or targeted because of their identity, also face increased risk. (...) Many victims come from already disadvantaged groups: women; children; members of ethnic minorities; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people; and, overwhelmingly, the poor. These are the very people who find access to redress difficult or impossible. (...)



Rape and other sexual attacks on women by state agents are reported in many countries. Women may have less access to legal remedies and be subject to discriminatory laws, making it even harder for them to secure justice for torture.

Both women and men – but mostly women – are subject to gender-based torture, including in the form of rape and other sexual violence. Some forms of torture and other ill-treatment are unique to women including forced abortions, denial of abortions, forced sterilization and female genital mutilation. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex prisoners will also be targeted in different ways from heterosexual prisoners. For example, transgender prisoners are often held in facilities for their gender at birth rather than their gender of choice, and lesbian and gay prisoners will more often be targeted for sexual and other violence than heterosexual prisoners, whether by other prisoners/detainees or prison staff.



Measures to combat torture must therefore be gender-sensitive and gender inclusive as well as being sensitive and inclusive of the specific measures needed to ensure the protection of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons."
Amnesty International, 2014



via Torture in 2014. 30 Years of Broken Promises. Amnesty International