The online film was shared so widely, the campaign generated 128 million media impressions globally. It gained so much attention in Lebanon and around the world, it was the final push KAFA needed to get the law passed and the first man in Lebanon jailed for brutally assaulting his wife, driving change in the way Lebanon treats women.
We conducted a social experiment with a women’s only taxi service, replacing the GPS system with a remote one we connected to the taxi’s radio. The abusive human GPS directed the driver from another vehicle, giving our surprised captive audience an experience that made it impossible to stay silent. We had the registered passengers mobile numbers, so before the passengers were dropped off they received a text explaining the campaign and asking them to speak up. We created a short film of the experiment and shared it online and through social media.
In Lebanon there’s never been a law protecting women against abuse, and more women are being killed by husbands each year. In a male-dominated society that expects women to be submissive, there’s a cultural tendency not to report abuse or interfere in other’s affairs.
KAFA is an organisation in Lebanon that has been advocating for women’s rights for many years and was getting closer to having a law to protect women passed, but they needed a final push and desperately needed more women to speak up, so we needed an idea to ensure that.