2019 Winners & Shortlists

Why is this work relevant for Media?

Our campaign aims to expose the Lebanese patriarchal society that shames survivors of rape, and to encourage more women to speak up. In order to reach the Lebanese mass we selected new channels that will captivate their attention. We capitalized on one of Lebanon’s most mediatized event – the Beirut Marathon, and we created an immersive play which was enacted in a the Lebanese house representing the safest place a woman can feel, where unfortunately most assault cases take place.

Background.

The 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/insights

#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.

After revealing our social experiment online and sparking local/international outrage, the patriarchy is shaken and rape survivors dare to speak up. At the Beirut Marathon – Lebanon’s most mediatized event, rape survivors refuse to run and face their rapist. The stunt headlines local/international news, gaining more media attention than the marathon itself. Another part of the campaign is an interactive retelling by actors of the stories of real-life sexual violence victims. The play’s scenes take place in different rooms in a Lebanese house representing the safest place a woman can feel, where unfortunately most assault cases usually happen. Each scene revolves around how the victims’ families’ and society’s blaming forced them not to speak up, in fear of shame and dishonoring. The play attended by policymakers, politicians, influencers and the public, left everyone in awe and eager to be part of the change, and encouraged more women to speak up.

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.