2019 Winners & Shortlists

Why is this work relevant for Integrated?

Through a social experiment film, interactive OOH, a stunt, an immersive play and an Integrated influencer and PR amplification program, we brought the country’s attention to the rape taboo and bluntly exposed a patriarchal society that shames and blames women survivors of rape. Through this ecosystem, we were able to break the taboo, shift the blame from the victims to the rapists, and encourage survivors to speak up and report rape cases, finally paving the way for justice.

Background

Lebanese society is deeply rooted in patriarchy to the point of shaming and blaming women who are victims of rape. Victim blaming is the main reason women do not report rape cases in Lebanon fearing scandal and stigma. Abaad, a Lebanese NGO, wants to shift the blame from the victim to the rapist, and empower women to speak up.

Describe the creative idea.

#ShameOnWho? (#MineElFelten) – Judge the rapist not the victim In the Lebanese patriarchal society, people tend to blame the woman who was victim of sexual abuse as if she was “Looking for it”. They criticize the way she dresses, the way she looks, her actions, etc… Victims of rape are accused of being at fault and called names. A very common Lebanese word is used when “accusing” a rape victim is “Feltene” which means someone who is morally loose. This is why we asked the rhetorical question #Min_ElFelten (#shameOnWho?) to highlight that the woman is not to blame, but the rapist is. He is the one to be blamed for his lack of humanity and loose morals. The shame needed to be shifted from the victim so that people could finally judge the rapist not the victim.

Describe the strategy

Our audience was the Lebanese society, including public figures, influencers and the public at large. It was crucial for our campaign to portray reality to the fullest so our insights stemmed from the experiences and testimonials of 6 rape survivors who shared their stories on how their families’ and society’s shaming forced them not to speak up and report their rape cases. Entrenched in the survivors’ testimonials, this reality was at the core of our campaign. To expose the Lebanese patriarchy for what it truly is, we conducted a social experiment in the popular streets of the capital to show how people reacted to the cries of a rape victim. While her part was scripted, their reactions were real. As expected, their shameful reactions sparked popular outrage as well as some negative reactions of shaming thus pushing the rape taboo out in the open.

Describe the execution.

We launch with an unbranded teaser SMS asking #ShameOnWho, instantly fueling the social conversation. We then reveal a social experiment where we document people’s real reactions to a rape victim. The film sparks national outrage and we trigger our influencer program to fuel the debate which is picked up by local and international media and public figures. This encourages rape survivors to publicly face their rapists as we graffiti their facial composites on the city walls and put the shame on them. An iconic image is captured of a survivor facing her rapist. We then hijack the Beirut Marathon, where rape survivors refuse to run and face their rapist. The stunt headlines local/international news. To further push the rape taboo from behind closed doors, we create an immersive play where people relive the stories of the survivors who came forward. Finally, we begin to put the blame where it belongs.

List the results.

Unprecedented conversation on rape and massive local/international resonance pushing 238 rape survivors to speak up. VIEWS+ENGAGEMENT - 4 Billion+ impressions - 13.9 Million+ views - $12.23 Million+ earned media - 226,000+ engagements - 497 publications (34 countries-Digital+offline) CASES REPORTING - 238 cases of sexual assault reported to Abaad during the month of the campaign versus 13 in previous year - ULAP–Major Lebanese international influencer, came forward as a rape survivor following the campaign and is met with unprecedented support and praise. COVERAGE+SUPPORT - Prominent politicians, celebrities and public figures tweeted/posted their support. - Local/regional TV coverage (news bulletin)+international coverage including CNN International, BBC, France 24, AJ+, Brut India etc. - #ShameOnWho recognized as the prime #MeToo campaign of Lebanon. - Huge debate sparked in the Lebanese American University around #ShameOnWho. - Instagram artist Audrey Ghoussoub created #ShameOnWho comic series. - Irish movement #ThisIsNotConsent joined the #ShameOnWho campaign.