Those no longer here campaign in remembrance of victims of femicide in Costa Rica
"I am the oldest of three siblings. I have a very beautiful daughter. She is four years old. She is the light of my life. I want to keep studying and working to give my little one everything. My family is what I love most. I am very straightforward, fun and cheerful." Casandra, age nineteen, was a young Costa Rican, full of life, of dreams, of hopes. Like Luany, Yendri, Marisol, Fernanda... and on, up to fifteen women victims of femicide.
Paying homage to the victims and reminding Costa Rican society that this maximum violation of women's human rights must never be repeated, UNDP and USAID launched the Those no longer here campaign through the InfoSegura Regional Project and different national and local institutions.
The initiative set up fifteen life-size silhouettes representing each of the women victims of femicide in 2021 in heavily used public spaces across the country. People who passed through the spaces where the silhouettes were set up also found data on femicides that took place that year, a call to action to stop gender-based violence against women and to report these incidents to the 911 emergency number.
The campaign spanned a year and paid tribute to the lives of these 15 women. Now, a work of art located in San José's La Sabana Park stands as a permanent homage to the fifteen women victims of femicide and the project website has their stories, and offers communications materials to read or download.
The initiative has made it possible to develop and reinforce strategic partnerships with local governments and other public and educational institutions committed to women's human right to a life free of violence. Implementation would not have been possible without the support and participation of the Families Surviving Femicide group.
The campaign is part of a communications strategy on the prevention of gender-based violence against women in all their diversity, called "Women are more than a number." The objective is to inform and raise citizen awareness of femicide as an issue in Costa Rica and its impact on the lives of women, their families, communities and society at large.
