Change Attitude

TO END SEXUALIZED VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN

THE POWER OF CULTURE

TOOLS FOR CHANGE

BREAK THE SILENCE – WE USE FILM TO ENGAGE

Break the Silence is a unique project bringing four Cannes-awarded film directors together with the purpose of using film as a tool to break the culture of silence around abuse and sexual exploitation of children. Film have the ability to engage our senses and emotions, creating opportunities for reflections and discussions. The project consists of four individual short films by Cannes nominated directors: Frida Kempff, Simón Mesa Soto, Anahita Ghazvinizadeh and Sonejuni Sinha. Each film illustrates different aspects of abuse and are set in different parts of the world: India, Colombia, Sweden and the United States. The films have achieved international success and are distributed with a film guide designed to stimulate discussions and actions against sexualized violence.Break the Silence was initiated by Change Attitude in collaboration with Momento film and was made possible by the generous support by The Swedish Postal Code Foundation. Break the Silence is now used by i.e. Save the Children, The European Women’s network against Sexual Violence and promoted by the Swedish Institute to all Swedish Embassies and consulates worldwide as a valuable tool to push the sustainable goals – Agenda 2030, target 16.2, “End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children”. Please see the website of the Swedish Institute https://sharingsweden.se/toolkits/never-violence Would you like to use BREAK THE SILENCE? Please contact us and we will be happy to assist you.

MADRE

Simón Mesa Soto examines what consequences the demand for child sexual abuse material might have on economically disadvantaged people in Colombia. Sixteen-year-old Andrea lives together with her mother and sister in a socially and economically deprived area in the mountainous region of Medellín in Colombia. She is catching the bus into town to participate in an adult film casting.

DEAR KID

Frida Kempff, Sweden, sheds a light on reactions and responses when an adult becomes witness to a possible abusive situation involving a child. Dear Kid revolves around guilt and responsibility. During a swimming practice a mother starts to feel uneasy about the coach’s relation to one of the children. But without any proof she faces a dilemma; to make an accusation of the worst kind, or to ignore a child who is possibly getting abused.

MILES OF SAND

Sonejuhi Sinha explores sexual and psychological child abuse through the lens of child marriage in a rural community in Rahjastan, India. A single mother and her daughter in rural India has to pay a heavy price to repay the mother’s debts.

WHAT REMAINS

Anahita Ghazvinizadeh, USA, explores the relation between memory, recollection and abuse. When sexual exploitation from the childhood becomes a silent secret, it turns into a memory that affects a young woman emotionally and mentally as she faces the present. After moving from Iran to the US, Leila spends a day at the suburban house of her uncle Reza who she last met 13 years ago as a young girl. Reza, his daughter, and his colleagues get together to welcome Leila.

PARKGÖMMET – A UNIQUE LEARNING GAME

Parkgömmet is a unique game based on research aiming to increase children’s risk awareness online when it comes to sexual grooming. The game, in conjunction with the guiding material for the follow-up dialogue and directed to children 8-10 years old.

The game provides first-hand concrete experience of choices and potential outcomes of online contacts in a safe environment and serve as a digital tool to meet the digital challenges. It bridges the cognitive maturity of younger children and the reasoning capabilities required for understanding potential future problems of exposing oneself.

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The theme is a park where each player hides a treasure and gets in return a set of clues to the hiding place. During the game an unknown character sends messages similar to online chats and text messages, trying to manipulate the players to give up their clues by taking pictures. The players can choose to reveal a clue bearing in mind it may or may not be a good idea in the long run.The game mechanics are based on unique research of authentic online dialogues from closed Swedish forums, between children and later convicted perpetrators. The research carried out by the university of Skövde provides real-world insight into perpetrators’ tactics and strategies, some of which have been transferred into game events, but in a non-sexual and non-violent format.The game consists of a classic board game, a computer game and augmented reality (AR) technology. The AR technology transforms the basic picture on the board into an exciting 3D world.The game evaluations with young players show that the participating children perceived the game as fun. It also raises questions regarding online behaviors. The game experience will be discussed during the follow-dialogue lead by an adult. The conversation will be facilitated by a guiding material and include subjects such as self-awareness, boundaries and the rights of the child in particular from an online perspective. The idea of investigating whether a computer game could be used to prevent online sexual grooming came from Change Attitude.

Parkgömmet Trailer from Change Attitude on Vimeo.

Buy Parkgömmet here: Website Parkgömmet (SWE)

ABOUT US

Change Attitude is a global culture foundation. Founded in Sweden 2011 by Ulla Lemberg, photographer and documentary filmmaker.

Millions of children are abused daily around the world. Facts and figures are clear. Conventions and regional frameworks condemn the violence but still there’s no signs of decrease.These horrific crimes against children must be prioritized in al levels and the silence around these crimes must end.

The vision of Change Attitude is that no child shall be abused or victim of sexual exploitation. Change Attitude believe in the power of culture to break the silence surrounding these crimes and to emotionally touch people for long term engagement.

Change Attitude creates emotional knowledge – “cultural tools” – to be used to raise awareness and to increase the efforts against abuse and sexual exploitation of children in order to eliminate these crimes. We collaborate with child rights organizations around the world, reinforcing the great work they are doing, with the power of culture.

Change Attitude initiates, collaborates and use different kind of artistic expressions depending on the scope and objective for the best possible impact and always seeking to engage the best artists in the field and region where we operate.

The work of Change Attitude is created with the respect for the child in accordance with the Convention on the rights of the child and its optional protocol. Children are always part of all our projects and we are very proud of the Change Attitude Youth Board.

Our first international project Break the Silence was launched in 2016 at the Swedish Embassy in Washington DC, USA in collaboration with R.F Kennedy Human Rights, Save the Children and the Swedish Institute. The scope and purpose of Break the Silence is to contribute to break the culture of silence surrounding abuse and sexual exploitation of children by using film as a tool.

Break the Silence is now globally used by the Swedish Institute to all Swedish embassies and consulates worldwide as a tool to promote the Sustainable goals, article 16.2 – elimination of sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children.

“End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children.“

A WORD FROM OUR FOUNDER

I hear the cries of their souls, cries that testify to children who have been subjected to sexual exploitation and abuse! The cruelest crime in the world. If it where not for the demand, children would not be subjected to these horrors.

In my fifty years of work as a photographer and filmmaker, I have traveled around the world and gotten to know and listened to the testimonies of hundreds of traumatized children. Testimonies that never leaves me.

In 2011 I founded the global culture foundation Change Attitude. To use the power of culture to break the silence surrounding these cruel crimes, crimes that is persisting daily against the children of the world.

Only when we dare to see the truth can we create the necessary social change. Change Attitude works daily with what we deem necessary for change. Today with what seemingly looks impossible but in the end we have been fighting to create what is necessary.

MEMBERS OF THE BOARD

Ulla Lemberg

Founder and creative leader ulla.lemberg@changeattitude.org

Joanna Lundquist

Chairperson and children’s rights expert joanna.lundquist@changeattitude.org

Sten Söderberg

Business advisor and co-founder

Helena Riese Harstad

Lawyer

Nadia Dyberg

Journalist and documentary filmmaker

Marie Hallberg

Communication Professional

Anders Hansson

Curatorial Project Manager anders.hansson@changeattitude.org

Film: Martin Axkull, Musik Henrik Rambe

CHANGE ATTITUDE is a religiously and politically independent foundation, based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Change Attitude operates globally through cultural expressions to raise awareness and increase people’s commitment to end sexualized violence against children.

WHAT YOU CAN DO Please connect with us if you would like to learn more about how you can support our work. Send an email to info@changeattitude.org. We look forward to hearing from you! To continue our very important work DONATIONS are welcome through Swish @ 123- 589 36 23. Thank you very much.

Postal address: Change Attitude c/o Ulla Lemberg, Järnvägsgatan 16 , SE-261 32 Landskrona, Sweden