AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

Media Advisory

AI Index: AMR 38/018/2004 (Public)

News Service No: 301

23 November 2004

Jamaica: End the Silence, Stop the Violence - new campaign to stop domestic violence

On the International Day to Stop Domestic Violence, Amnesty International is launching a series of radio public service announcements in Jamaica. The initiative is part of Amnesty International’s campaign "Stop Violence Against Women", launched in March this year.

The public service announcements (PSA) aim to reach and influence Caribbean men, and to raise awareness around violence against women in the region. Each PSA has been recorded with both a male and female voice, appealing to the listener to think about the pain that is inflicted on women who suffer violence. There are effective background sound effects and commentary about how countless women are beaten, raped and abused. The narrator appeals for men to show that the violence can and must be stopped.

There are two music versions; one uses Bob Marley’s "No Woman No Cry"; the other uses "Stay Away" by the Jamaican reggae artist, Luciano. Both have lengths of 60, 45, 30 and 15 seconds.

Amnesty International is launching the Bob Marley version first. It will be played on radio stations throughout Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, the Bahamas, Guyana, Grenada and Barbados for a week from 25 November. The organisation plans to release the Luciano version early next year.

A delegation from Amnesty International will be in Jamaica from Wednesday 24 November. The delegates, Piers Bannister, and Olivia Streater, can be contacted for interviews and further information on: +1 876 929 9000.

For a link to download the spots, please contact Joanna Duchesne at joannaduchesne@yahoo.co.uk

Public Document

****************************************

For more information please call Amnesty International's press office in London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5566

Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW. web: http://www.amnesty.org

For latest human rights news view http://news.amnesty.org