Fostering alliances to amplify social media work to end economic gender-based violence

At the end of 2021, the Lebanon-based Collective for Research & Training on Development – Action (CRTD.A), a partner of Gender at Work at the Power Up! Programme, forged a new advocacy alliance with Oxfam and paved the way to the achievement of one of the main outcomes of the PU! initiative — shifting harmful social norms.

While collaborations with Oxfam were not completely new to CRTD.A, being invited by the global organisation to be their strategic advocacy partner in the South West Asian/North African region for their 16 Days of Activism campaign presented itself as a valuable opportunity to shed light on the pressing issue of economic gender-based violence (EGBV).

This type of violence against women have long been overlooked and underestimated, especially in Lebanon, due to persistent patriarchal social norms. Aiming to combat and end the issue, the CRTD.A team along with a feminist producer and Oxfam designed a powerful social media campaign, including an advocacy video and direct messages that emphasized women’s rights to financial independence and safety.

CRTD.A’s courage to address EGBV during the 16 Days initiative set them apart as the only organization in Lebanon focused on this crucial issue. As the campaign gained momentum, so did CRTD.A’s online presence. The reach of the campaign surpassed all expectations, touching the lives of over 450,000 viewers.

See the You have the right to live financially independently. You have the right to live safely video here and the What are some of the aspects of EGBV? video in Arabic here.

Beyond their growth on social media, the alliance with Oxfam held even greater significance: it not only amplified CRTD.A’s key messages across global platforms but also provided an opportunity to influence Oxfam itself. The impact does not stop there as the alliance continued to develop – Oxfam invited CRTD.A to collaborate on their 2022 global campaign, focusing on inequality and its interaction with gender-based violence.