Background

In the Indian subcontinent, forced dowry is a practice in which the groom's family coerces the bride's family to pay the groom in material goods. Failure to match this expectation frequently results in thousands of brides being victimized through domestic violence and, in many cases, even leading to death through murder or suicide. In Pakistan, the custom is practiced by all classes, and national laws against it have been unable to stop people from continuing to pressure women to submit. UN Women's goal was to start a national movement against this custom, and give people tools to protest against it in order to drive legislative change.

Describe the creative idea (40% of vote)

To call dowry-demanding men out, we used one of the most recognised symbols of marriages in the country to disseminate the message: hands decorated with henna. To protest against dowry abuse, we designed posters which were illustrated using real henna ink, and then put them up at strategic spots where dowry items are bought: furniture stores, electronic goods stores, wedding items.

Describe the execution (40% of vote)

We illustrated 500 posters by hand, each defiant upheld palm a unique pattern, which prompted people to use their own palms as a device to communicate our message in the centre of the palm: “Stop Dowrymongering.” The posters were initially printed on an offset press, which was then overlayed with hand-drawn henna patterns.

List the results (20% of vote)

The campaign became the most trending topic in Pakistan during the wedding season. Thousands of women - and men - put up images of our symbol in protest. All the major national news channels carried the campaign on the news. BBC called the campaign "Instrumental in sparking conversation around the issue." A total reach of 495,000,000 resulted in about $2,100,000 of earned media, all organic. News reports started coming in of parents canceling weddings when anybody put up a demand of dowry. A cultural shift had started to take place. The most impactful result for the campaign was a statement issued by the Islamic Council, by far the most influential body in Pakistan, that forced dowry is unIslamic. Several clerics joined in the condemnation, further making the act a matter of not only losing self-respect, but also classifying it as a sin.