The Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation is releasing a new video campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of drowning.

Ahead of World Drowning Prevention Day on 25th July, the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation will be releasing three short drowning prevention videos, broadcast locally and online during the summer.

The videos have been produced to remind the public that children under six are the main victims of drowning, and that parental vigilance is essential.

Different messages are being relayed with different situations in the campaign, like: “Never take your eyes off your children”, “Always be vigilant near water”, and “26% of drownings take place in swimming pools”.

A fourth video targets young people, highlighting the need to monitor the impact that heat and the sun have on their physical conditions: “High heat = risk of hydrocution”.

The videos can be found on the Foundation’s Instagram and Facebook pages, and YouTube channel.

World Drowning Prevention Day

This international day is marked on 25th July and is an opportunity to remember the impact of drowning on families and communities, and to propose positive and practical solutions to promote water safety. The date was set in April 2021 by the United Nations with the adoption of the Resolution on Global Drowning Prevention, which calls on all Member States to take national and local measures in the face of this silent epidemic.

In May 2023, this resolution was supported and confirmed by a new World Health Assembly resolution to accelerate action for global drowning prevention, while building on the progress made since 2021.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that approximately 236,000 drowning deaths occur each year worldwide.

In France, figures from Santé Publique France confirm that drownings are responsible for around 1,000 deaths each year occur and mainly in the summer period.

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Photo credit: Jesper Stechmann, Unsplash