Cause Vision Announced As Finalist for Avon Global Communications Awards

NEW YORK - March 10, 2014 - PRLog -- In recognition of International Women’s Day,Cause Vision, a non-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization based in New York, was selected as a finalist for the 3^rd annual Avon Communications Awards: Speaking Out About Violence Against Women (http://xchange.futureswithoutviolence.org/pages/communicationsawards) for its outstanding work on “Hoa and Lan” Stop Human Trafficking with comic books in Vietnam” to bring attention, awareness and the need to end violence against women.

Cause Vision is one of 20 global organizations to be chosen as a finalist for the prestigious awards, which recognize outstanding communications campaigns that are helping change communities, policies, institutions and behaviors to end violence against women. The five winning organizations will be chosen by an expert panel of judges and announced at the end of March. Each will receive a US $5,000 grant from the Avon Foundation for Women to fund the continuation of their work.

The top finalists were selected from more than 870 submissions to the Communications X-Change (http://xchange.futureswithoutviolence.org/) by 303 organizations in 78 countries, ranging from Albania to Nicaragua to Vietnam. The Communications X-Change is a digital global communications library that enables organizations and advocates throughout the world to find, share, and learn from the best communications material focused on ending violence against women and children. The Communications X-Change was developed and is managed by Futures Without Violence (http://www.futureswithoutviolence.org/) and funded by the Avon Foundation.

“The Avon Communications Awards are casting a spotlight on issues that affect one in three women across the globe,” said Carol Kurzig, Avon Foundation for Women President. “Communication and education are critical elements to ignite bystanders into action, and without public awareness and education, bystanders often do not intervene to help in abusive situations. We congratulate them on their selection as a finalist from a very competitive selection process with so many outstanding entries.”

“We commend Cause Vision for their innovative use of communications to prevent and ultimately end violence against women and children in every corner of the world,” said Esta Soler, Futures Without Violence President and Founder. “Since the launch of the Communications X-Change, we’ve been continually impressed by the creativity and caliber of the submissions. These campaigns are an inspiration to the violence prevention community across the globe and a catalyst for change.”

To view the 20 finalists’ campaigns and other educational information about gender-based violence, please visit: http://xchange.futureswithoutviolence.org/pages/communicationsawards

In addition, as part of the Avon Foundation’s celebration of International Women’s Day efforts, Avon Foundation Global Ambassador Fergie will launch The Institute on Violence Against Women on March 20, at the U.S. Department of State. The Global Partnership to End Violence Against Women (http://www.avonfoundation.org/causes/domestic-violence/funding/global-partnership/) is a new initiative with the Department of State, Vital Voices and the Avon Foundation for Women. The Institute will launch in 2014 in India, Mexico, Nepal and South Africa, and will provide training to facilitate a holistic response to addressing violence against in women. Despite the existence of policies and statutes that can protect women and prevent impunity, very few countries are effectively implementing their legislative tools, leaving victims unprotected and perpetrators unaccountable. Institute participants will include local NGOs, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, judges, and government-based service providers.

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About Avon’s Speak Out Against Domestic Violence Program
Avon and the Avon Foundation for Women launched Speak Out Against Domestic Violence (http://www.avonfoundation.org/causes/domestic-violence/) in 2004 to support domestic violence awareness, education and prevention programs aimed at reducing domestic and gender violence, as well as direct services for victims and their families. Through 2013, Avon global philanthropy has donated nearly $58 million to support violence against women programs, services and education. Globally, Avon supports efforts to end violence against women in nearly 50 countries by raising funds through special product sales, and educating women around the world through its army of more than 6 million Avon Representatives.

Futures Without Violence
For more than 30 years, Futures Without Violence has led the way and set the pace for innovative educational programs, public action campaigns, policy development, and leadership training designed to end violence against women, children, and families around the world. Providing leadership from offices in San Francisco, Washington D.C. and Boston, Futures Without Violence invests in the power of those affected by violence and brings individuals and communities together to create positive solutions. Instrumental in developing the landmark Violence Against Women Act passed by the U.S. Congress in 1994, Futures Without Violence has established a Global Center for Leadership and Action that will engage today’s diverse national and global leaders, stand with survivors, and continue working to break the silence around gender-based violence.

About Cause Vision
Cause Vision produces media and materials to inform and educate communities on issues directly relevant to their people; these materials are conceived and produced to be disseminated among communities most in need of these welfare-enhancing resources. Our mission is to educate people about such issues rooted in our desire to promote social and behavioral change that ultimately leads to improving populations' well-being.  Such materials are distributed through local organizations that reach out to those communities and educate them.

To support such local grassroots organizations' activities, we provide social marketing and media consulting, as well as media production at marginal cost, depending of the funding and the size of the applicable organizations. Cause Vision's projects will include the most appropriate media to educate global communities on: Human Rights; Public Health; and Environmental Sustainability. Cause Vision is a not-for-profit 501(c) (3) organization based in New York, USA. Cause Vision produces and donates media material for social causes around the world. To learn more about Cause Vision, please visit us at causevision.org.