Christ the Redeemer statue lights up in pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Brazilian landmark joins Eiffel Tower in Paris and The Shard in London to mark the annual campaign

Brazil's Christ the Redeemer has been lit in pink to commemorate Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. The 38-metre Art Deco statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro is one of the country's most famous landmarks, and has been used for many promotional events in the past, including campaigns by climate activists.

Cancer patients and survivors gathered at the foot of the statue for a ceremony on Tuesday, holding candles and listening to speeches. Many of them wore T-shirts that featured the name of the non-profit Fundacao Laco Rosa or Pink Loop Foundation, which organises the Rio event annually.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an annual international health campaign organised by major breast cancer charities every October to increase awareness of the disease and raise funds for research.

Pink has been used to represent the campaign since the 1990s.

Christ the Redeemer joins a number of global landmarks to mark the month, also known as Pinktober.

On Sunday, the Eiffel Tower in Paris was lit in pink for a few hours to commemorate the month. "In 2023, the theme is about the importance of research, saving lives," the attraction's website said.

"The yearly Pink October campaign offers an opportunity to shine a light on the fight against breast cancer for an entire month."

Another Paris landmark, Arc de Triomphe, and the spire of London skyscraper The Shard were also bathed in pink on Sunday.

"For the third year, the building has collaborated with Shangri-La The Shard, to turn the spire pink to raise awareness of this special month and the bravery of those affected," a message on its website reads.

The Shard said it has collaborated with UK breast cancer research and support charity Breast Cancer Now for a number of fundraising events throughout the month.

According to the World Health Organisation, breast cancer is the world's most prevalent cancer. In 2020, there were 2.3 million women diagnosed with breast cancer and it is the cause of 685,000 deaths globally. As of the end of 2020, there were 7.8 million women alive who were diagnosed with breast cancer in the past five years.