Members of the United Nations Children’s Fund at the University hung paper cranes and flyers recounting various troubling facts Monday evening.
Third-year College student Kaycee Ensign, President of UNICEF at the University, said the group was looking for a unique way to spread their message.
“Obviously there are a ton of CIOs here, so in order to grab people’s attention you kind of have to do something unique and different, which is why we thought to do cranes,” Ensign said. “We thought that it’s symbolic of peace which is a contrast to what the facts show, so that’s why we chose to do the peace cranes.”
An example of one of the facts says, “Almost a fourth of 15- to 19-year-old girls have been victims of physical violence.” Others pertain to violence against children and bullying. Ensign said all of the facts came from the UNICEF website.
“It’s connected to the #endviolence campaign, which is a campaign of UNICEF,” Ensign said. “Because UNICEF is a global initiative, there are specific programs and initiatives that they have for different countries. In the U.S. they’re focused on ending trafficking.”
Ensign said the initiatives in the U.S. involve pushing for legislation and child protection teams which would patrol areas where trafficking is prevalent.
On Grounds, the group also focuses on other campaigns UNICEF is a part of, including World Water Week in March.
“We raise awareness for the campaign by handing out balloons downtown,” Ensign said. “We also advocate for an app where every 10 minutes the phone isn’t used one dollar gets donated to WASH: water and sanitation and hygiene. They provide wells and sanitation tablets to children, making sure they all have access to clean water.”
The group also screens movies during the winter about different global issues, such as trafficking.
“Something that has been on all our minds is being an active bystander,” Ensign said. “Violence against children is not unique to the Middle East. It’s also occurring in the U.S., which we need to be aware of. And it’s also occurring in our Charlottesville community. Whether it’s in the form of bullying or physical violence or verbal violence we need make sure we stand up if we see it or hear about it and not just let it go to the wayside.”
Ensign said the cranes will be taken down in the next few days.
“We just wanted to get the initial reactions of students, and it will at least inspire some thought and maybe some conversations,” Ensign said.
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