Ukraine Collective Campaign against gender-based violence
We collaborated with the Ukrainian feminist movement to implement a collective campaign supporting the ratification of the Istanbul Convention against gender-based violence amidst disinformation campaigns. Through collaborative spaces and strategic communications insights, the campaign successfully gained the President’s public commitment, leading to the Convention’s ratification a few months later.
Objectives
The objective of the project was to foster narratives that resonate with broad audiences, improve the communication competencies of an ecosystem of actors and generate knowledge in strategic communication.
Challenges
- Complexity of Gender-based Violence: The project targeted the deeply entrenched issue of gender-based violence, highlighting the urgent need for comprehensive legal measures. The Istanbul Convention represented a pivotal opportunity to establish a legal framework addressing this violence, and at the same time, a complex issue to communicate about.
- Disinformation Campaigns: Opponents of the Convention utilized disinformation, falsely associating it with LGBTQI+ proselytism among other misconceptions, which posed significant obstacles to public support and understanding.
- Long-standing Struggle: The feminist movement in Ukraine had been advocating for the ratification of the Istanbul Convention for over a decade, facing systemic and societal barriers that hindered progress.
Our Approach
- Evidence-based: Our journey began with an in-depth research phase in partnership with Ukrainian researcher. Audience analysis and focus groups conducted by MSC, alongside digital research about the Ukraine media landscape laid the groundwork for our strategy. Sharing insights with a network of organizations and activists where key to design a strategy together and inspire collective action.
- Collaborative Campaigning: In a strategic partnership with Ukrainian feminist organizations, Komons facilitated an inclusive process based on active listening to diverse stakeholders. The establishment of cross-movement spaces was the cornerstone of this approach, allowing a broad spectrum of organizations to synchronize their efforts and practitioners to collaborate effectively. This framework not only facilitated the dissemination of targeted messages that successfully engaged critical audiences, but also fostered a strong network of solidarity and shared objectives among diverse groups working towards a common goal.
- Innovative Communication Strategies: Utilizing digital research, audience analysis, and "creative kitchens", the campaign fostered collaboration among content creators to produce relatable stories and messages, effectively countering disinformation.
- Digital Monitoring and Engagement (M&E): A sophisticated digital M&E system was employed to track the opposition’s narratives online and measure the campaign’s impact on public discourse, resulting in a noticeable shift towards supportive engagement.
- Strategic Phases of Campaign: The campaign was meticulously planned in phases, starting with raising awareness and culminating in a state petition that quickly gathered momentum, eventually securing the President's public support.
Outcomes and Learnings
- Deep social change were the main mobilizer: Much of Ukrainian society is aware of the seriousness of gender violence. They are not interested in short-term solutions or those that address the symptoms of violence but those that address the root of the problem, such as prevention and coordinated policies. For example, training professionals such as teachers in the prevention of violence was a message that provided hope in moving towards a better society.
- Increased public interest and support: The campaign not only countered disinformation but also significantly raised public awareness and interest in the Convention, as evidenced by increased Google searches, social media engagement and the the President's public support.
- Creation of collaborative spaces: The project fostered enduring collaborative spaces among feminist organizations, enhancing collective intelligence and strategic vision, which remained active and vital even amidst the challenges posed by the subsequent invasion and war.
- Adaptability and resilience: The campaign's success, despite the onset of war and displacement of team members, underscored the importance of adaptability and resilience in advocacy. The initiative also laid the groundwork for future collective actions, demonstrating the power of unity in facing social crises. The collective efforts led to the historic ratification of the Istanbul Convention, marking a significant milestone in the fight against gender-based violence in Ukraine.
Contributors:
Supported by FICH and OSF and developed within the framework of the Comms Hub strategy.
The feminists organizations in the core were Women’s Fund, Women’s Perspective, Women’s March, La Strada and Territory of Success. The following organizations were our allies: Center of Gender Culture, Zmina, Public Council of Gender issues, International Amnesty, Ukranian Women’s Fund, 50%, Positive Women and Pohava
More info:
Violence Against Women: Ukraine Media Landscape 2019-2021 (PDF), in collaboration with Dina Zaika and Comms Hub.