Creature London's Harrowing Image to Remember Britain's 'Lost Women'

Creature London has generated the winning image for Cosmopolitan’s campaign to remember the victims of honour killings. It was projected onto Covent Garden’s Royal Opera House to mark David Cameron’s Girl Summit being held today.

Creature London, alongside Adam & Eve DDB and Leo Burnett were briefed earlier this month to create an emotive and shareable visual that could be used both in print and online to define Cosmo’s campaign to raise awareness of women murdered by their families in the name of honour. 

Judged by Cosmopolitan Editor-in-Chief Louise Court, Founder and Chief Executive of Karma Nirvana Jasvinder Sanghera CBE, president of children’s charity Theirworld Sarah Brown, UK Director of Change.org Brie Rogers-Lowery, Campaign Editor-in-Chief Claire Beale and BBC Breakfast reporter Naga Munchetty, Creature London’s entry was felt to powerfully capture the essence of the campaign.

The stark and chilling image was projected onto The Royal Opera House by Projection Artworks in the lead up to the Prime Minister’s Girl Summit, held today (22nd July) to discuss the abusive and oppressive attitudes to women embedded in cultures both at home and abroad, with a focus on forced marriage and female genital mutilation.

In partnership with Karma Nirvana, the UK charity dedicated to supporting victims of honour-based violence and forced marriage, the campaign calls for a national day of memory for the victims of honour killings. So far more than 110,000 people have pledged their support through the platform of Change.org.

An estimated 5,000 women around the world are killed each year for bringing ‘shame’ upon their families. At least 12 of them are British, although the true number is thought to be far higher, as many simply ‘disappear’.

While honour can bind families together, it can be used to oppress women for doing things that most of us take for granted. Women are beaten, intimidated, subjected to acid attacks and even murdered by their own parents and relatives, for dressing and behaving in a ‘western’ style, for asking for a divorce and for falling for someone their family doesn’t approve of – all in the name of ‘honour’. 

Cosmopolitan is campaigning for an annual national day of memory to take place from next July 14th on Shafilea Ahmed’s birthday. Shafilea Ahmed was suffocated by her parents in front of her siblings when she was 17 for dishonouring her family. She had previously drunk bleach in a desperate bid to avoid the marriage her parents were forcing her into.

Louise Court, Editor-in-Chief, Cosmopolitan says: “It was amazing to work with these agencies and see how they interpreted the brief. They were all really powerful but Creature London’s entry instantly captured the harrowing truth of women and girls killed by their own family. The image tells the story of our campaign so succinctly, and so poignantly, it answered the brief perfectly and will be a major asset to our campaign.”

Claire Beale, Editor-in-Chief, Campaign says: “For me, the most powerful image was the Creature London image. It was powerful, and local – reminding people that this is an issue for us, here and now, and not just an issue happening on the other side of the world.”

Dan Shute, Managing Partner, Creature London says: "We were honoured to be asked to participate in such an incredible movement, and blown away that our ad was chosen. This was a project that really got under the skin of anyone who worked on it, and we're very proud of what we've produced: more than that, though, we're proud to be able to support Cosmopolitan and Karma Nirvana's cause, and hope our work can help with the extremely important job that needs to be done. We will never forget Britain's lost women, and we will do our damnedest to ensure that nobody else does either."

James Murray, Client Services Director, Projection Artwork, says: “When approached, we we’re only too pleased to use projection to help raise the profile of such an important cause. It is terrifying to think these horrific acts still exist in the modern world. We truly hope the campaign makes a difference.”

The Cosmopolitan campaign follows the recent launch of Hearst Empowering Women – a new initiative by Cosmopolitan’s publisher, Hearst Magazines UK - dedicated to capturing the unique spirit of feminism at the heart of Hearst’s world-renowned titles.  Launched in association with Theirworld, Sarah Brown’s charity for women and children, the initiative brings together expertise from across Hearst’s portfolio via a practical online resource as well as inspiring talks from powerful and influential women, providing tips for success and offering invaluable advice with the power to change women’s lives.