Read Between The Lines

Client – Centrs Dardedze Anda Avena MAGIC creative team: Laura Lapiņa Monta Kalneta Toms Vilītis Niklāvs Vētra Māris Dejus Dace Izabella Grundšteina MAGIC project management team: Inga Rudovica Rota Šulmeistere Support team: Madara Zaprauska Emīls Rupais Franks Andrejs Pīrogs Guntars Šmits WIT Consulting strategist: Lelde Dālmane  KID Design: Maija Rozenfelde Deep White:  Krista Grasberga Photos: Mārtiņš Goldbergs

We would like for childhood to be safe and filled with joy, but it's not always the case. One of the reasons is the violation of a child's intimate boundaries. However, sexual abuse is a topic that often remains hidden between the lines. Perpetrators, 84% of whom are well-known to a child, manipulate, and victims remain silent. Every 9th child becomes a victim of sexual abuse. Despite this, before the campaign, Latvian society did not want to discuss this issue. That's why the non-governmental organization Center Dardedze, which advocates for safe childhood, initiated a campaign, and together we managed to break the silence and raise awareness about the topic. Despite the fact that we had no budget, we found several sponsors who provided us with paints and materials, and we launched the campaign Read Between the Lines with an interactive “Creative Safe Space,” providing room for the topic on the main street of our country. Victims were able to share their stories, parents learned how to speak with their children about the topic, experts held discussions, and artists also helped to raise awareness with their drawings on the walls of the Creative Safe Space. Outdoors, we presented four different situations of sexual violence in everyday environments (home, school, sports, and the Internet), emphasizing that it can happen anywhere, even in a seemingly safe place. In one city, our outdoor displays were even banned, but it suited our cause because it sparked discussions. The Creative Safe Space, in particular, received special recognition and repeated news features on television (with a total estimated media audience 800,000), as well as the attention of the public – hundreds of people shared their stories and ideas on the walls of the space. Calls to the helpline doubled; even grownups called and shared their stories after years of silence.