Artwork of the Week: My Body, My Rights

Image: © Amnesty International (Artist: Hikaru Cho / Photo: Jim Marks)

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In 2014, Amnesty International collaborated with Japanese artist Hikaru Cho to create My Body, My Rights, a campaign designed to reinforce the right of every individual to control their own health, body, and sexual choices.

Cho’s best known for her body art, and she put these skills to work by creating a range of resounding designs for the initiative.

Crack
© Amnesty International (Artist: Hikaru Cho / Photo: Jim Marks)

This piece, depicting a woman’s face cracking like an egg shell, represents the emotional trauma resulting from sexual violence.

1 in 10 girls worldwide aged under 18 have reported being forced to have sex or perform sexual acts. The real figure is likely to be significantly higher.

Lock
© Amnesty International (Artist: Hikaru Cho / Photo: Jim Marks)

A woman holds the key to her body. She alone has the right to choose when, or if, she has children.

40% of women of childbearing age live in countries where abortion is banned or inaccessible.

Pill
© Amnesty International (Artist: Hikaru Cho / Photo: Jim Marks)

The right to contraception and sexual health takes form in a blister pack of contraceptive pills stored within a woman’s body.

215 million women do not have access to contraception.

Kiss
© Amnesty International (Artist: Hikaru Cho / Photo: Jim Marks)

One face transforms into an image of two men prepared to kiss. Everybody should be free to choose their partners.

Homosexuality is illegal in 77 countries. In five, and parts of another two, homosexual acts are punishable by death.

Knowledge
© Amnesty International (Artist: Hikaru Cho / Photo: Jim Marks)

Access to education and free information is crucial in ensuring millions around the world understand their rights and responsibilities when it comes to protecting their body, and respecting the bodies of others.

Learn about Cho’s creative process in the video below, or view more of her work at hikarucho.com

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