2022 Winners & Shortlists

Why is this work relevant for Glass: The Award for Change

The concept of virginity entrenches gender inequality by holding girls to a different sexual responsibility and standard than boys, and rewarding conformation with a harmful stereotype. The provision is based on gender biased narratives that associate purity and modesty only to women, depriving them of control over their sexualities and bodies. Women’s virginity as a concept is surrounded by myths, misplaced concepts, patriarchal meanings, outdated notions and – in most cases - plain ignorance. M.A.L.I. aimed to raise consciousness around this taboo and help debunking its myths, by investing in the fundamental building blocks to empower women.

Background

Virginity. A concept coined twenty-five centuries ago by men to categorize, assess, and oppress women. Idealized and mythologized, the fabricated idea of “virginity” still rules today. Virginity testing is a long-standing practice that has been documented in Morocco and at least other 20 countries around the world. For centuries, many techniques (some more dangerous than others) have been used as a means of testing a woman’s “virginity”. In some communities, such practices have become a public health problem. “Virginity testing” techniques cause physical pain, psychological damage and detrimental consequences, which may lead to sexual health problems later in life, along with depression, anxiety and disorders of self-esteem such as anorexia and bulimia. M.A.L.I, an NGO that fights for women rights, decided to help turn the tables - and raise awareness around the health dangers of simply not knowing how to deal or talk about virginity.

Describe the cultural / social / political climate in your region and the significance of your campaign within this context

Virginity tests have been labelled a violation of human rights against women by the United Nations since 2018. But under the Moroccan Penal Code, Article 488 is a law that does not yet provide effective protection against rape if a woman cannot prove that she was a virgin before the crime occurred. Idealized and mythologized, the fabricated idea of “virginity” has become a concept to measure a woman’s worth. Problem is virginity is surrounded by myths, misplaced concepts, patriarchal meanings, outdated notions and – in most cases - plain ignorance.

Describe the creative idea

According to the United Nations: comprehensive Sexuality Education enables young people to protect and advocate for their health, well-being and dignity by providing them with a necessary toolkit of knowledge, attitudes and skills. It is a precondition for exercising full autonomy, which requires not only the right to choose about one’s body but also the information to make choices in a meaningful way. M.A.L.I. wanted to empower women with scientific knowledge, evidence, and concepts, enabling them to take a stand when and where it would matter. However, the world is still far from reaching even the first milestones when it comes to educating young girls on the subject. Most times, they lack the very basic vocabulary – perhaps the most pervasive type of ignorance. And that’s when it clicked. Invest in the most fundamental building blocks to empower women: words. Simply defining them. Just like a dictionary.

Describe the strategy

The single-minded objective of this initiative by M.A.L.I. was to raise consciousness in the society around this taboo and help the debunking and deconstruction of its myths. Time to put words to define what we think, then change what we think we can’t change. By redefining the terms that society has imposed on us, it’s time to shut down the virginity myth once and for all. First, we researched a muddling bundle of words, connotations and behaviors associated with virginity in different cultures. We then compiled scientific evidence to bust the ignorance bubble around each of these words.

Describe the execution

And what could be the best way to deliver this knowledge? What could have more credibility than social commentary and a bigger audience than a research paper? Dictionary. A form of reference that has survived the digital age, dictionaries were originally invented to help stabilize the rules governing language. That’s exactly what we wanted when it comes to virginity and the language used around it. M.A.L.I. published a meticulously well researched dictionary, busting the ignorance bubbles around words associated with virginity.

Describe the results / impact

By redefining what they thought they knew, we made people unlearn and relearn virginity. Sometimes a tradition can be embedded within a culture so deeply that questioning it has never been considered. However, when we shed light on such topics, raise awareness, and ignite an open conversation, even if it’s an uncomfortable one, we can limit and fight back against harmful practices. This can only start with education on the topic. With a dictionary that turned people into learners. Words have power. Now they could not only understand words related to virginity in a new context, but they could find evidence and arguments needed for brave conversation to break the culture code. Free copies were sent out to influencers, journalists and activists. The dictionary is available to women for free. 100,000 copies distributed across 97 countries.