The “What Were You Wearing?” art exhibit at the United Nations invites observers to see the outfits worn by sexual assault survivors at the time of their attack, confronting and refuting the implicit victim-blaming in that question.
Featuring contributions by survivors, including Paris Hilton, as well as the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General and other officials, this video shows how the campaign by Rise and the Spotlight Initiative shifts blame for sexual assault to where it belongs: squarely on the perpetrators.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 35 percent of all women worldwide have survived sexual violence, but the United Nations General Assembly has never passed a resolution focused solely on protections for sexual violence survivors.
The United Nations did unanimously adopt a new agenda item introduced by Sierra Leone and championed by Rise to enshrine access to justice globally for sexual assault survivors. The new item permanently places the topic of sexual violence on the Assembly's annual agenda.
Music credit: Artlist - Invisible World by Aija Alsina
Event footage by Indie Video NYC