In an effort to expose Australia's domestic violence problem, Jeunesse Kids are bringing attention to the hidden struggles of children affected through a national purpose campaign. And the results are bold and powerful.
In partnership with not-for-profit charity Friends with Dignity, the initiative launched with the release of a raw, emotionally moving interactive mural and animation film titled ‘Sarah’s Story’ in Sydney's CB, marking the United Nations Universal Children’s Day. The video hopes to raise awareness around the sobering statistics of children affected through ‘Sarah’s Story’ - a story based on the real-life events of a 6-year-old child affected by exposure to domestic violence in the home, and her remarkable recovery through the charity’s scholarship program called Little Friends.
Watch The Video Below:
In Australia, more than 1 million children are affected by domestic and family violence. Experts say that exposure can lead to short and long term negative mental, behavioural, and social effects- and those who witness physical, emotional or verbal domestic violence are twice as likely to abuse drugs, and six times more likely to die by suicide. Universal Children’s Day is observed internationally as a day of activity devoted to the welfare of the children of the world, including the right to life, to health, to education and to play, as well as the right to family life, to be protected from violence, to not be discriminated, and to have their views heard.
The violin acoustics that play in the animation film is an original recording that comes from Sarah herself, who through the scholarship program learned to play the violin and in doing so recreated a positive relationship with music.
"We envision a world where all children have the opportunity to grow and flourish and look forward to a happy, successful future," says General Manager of Jeunesse Global Australasia, Rachel McVinish.
When commenting on the campaign and what they hope to achieve, McVinish has added that while addressing the issue of domestic violence is complex and will require generational change—this is a first and very important step in bringing the issue to the forefront of Australian minds.
