#EveryWomanCounts: Creating a positive space for women and girls in North Macedonia
“My parents believed that a white child brings happiness and joy to the family and that her whole life would be easier. Unfortunately, it was not so,” said Fatma Bajram Azemovska, a fair-skinned Roma woman from North Macedonia. She was speaking at the launch of an OSCE campaign to end stigmatization of women and girls. The campaign was organized by the OSCE Mission to Skopje.
People say that a Roma woman is not worth educating because she gets married early. I am an example of the opposite.
For every woman like Fatma, there are many more whose lives are stymied by the prejudices that say women, especially those from disadvantaged groups, have nothing to contribute to society.
Stereotypes and biases affecting women and girls are, sadly, a part of every society. They fuel compromising stories and rumours about women who are Roma, or have disabilities, who wear headscarves, or are migrants, or come from the countryside, or are young.
Imagine if it were different. If, instead of spreading hurt, positive stories were spread to all corners of society, surrounding women and girls from diverse groups with uplifting messages so they can to walk proudly through their communities. That’s what the anti-rumour campaign set out to do.
In 2019 and 2020, the campaign engaged more than 20,000 participants of all ages, ethnicities, religions, abilities and social backgrounds across the country and online with the hashtag, #EveryWomanCounts. Using a novel anti-rumour strategy, the campaign aimed to prompt critical thinking about negative rumours against women and girls and replace them with counter-narratives that prove the rumours wrong.
“The anti-rumour campaign was designed to go viral, growing and spreading, kind of like a rumour, to as many people and activists in the social, economic, academic, and cultural life of our society as possible,” said Zhaneta Poposka, National Rule of Law officer in the Mission to Skopje, who together with her colleague Silvana Boshkovska Georgievska, Senior Programme Assistant, conceptualized, designed and implemented the project.
The Mission to Skopje’s Anti-Rumour Campaign won the OSCE Gender Champion award for the best project in 2020.
A novel method
The campaign’s anti-rumour strategy was first used in 2010 by the city of Barcelona and has since been applied in cities across Europe, North and South America and Japan. The method promotes long-term social and cultural change in relation to the stories people tell and re-tell about diversity and equality in society. It is different from many anti-discrimination campaigns in at least three important ways:
- First, it recognizes that rumours are mostly spread by people who probably do not consider themselves intolerant and would therefore not feel addressed by a campaign directly denouncing hate speech. This means the campaign targets the ambivalent majority rather than confirmed bigots or racists.
- Second, it employs innovative mechanisms – interactive theatre, art contests – to reach people on an emotional level. Experience has shown that simply countering prejudice with objective data is ineffective because rumours are based on emotions rather than facts.
- Third, the anti-rumour strategy takes full advantage of social media and the possibilities it offers for raising awareness, connecting people and multiplying positive narratives.
But, getting the attention of the majority takes creativity.
The Mission to Skopje employed more than 90 anti-rumour ambassadors for the campaign to implement activities nation-wide using different communication channels: social and digital media, events and public debates. Through theatre plays, art exhibitions, anti-rumour cafes, public discussions, film festivals, and visits to female football clubs, the ambassadors encouraged people to reflect on how negative stereotypes affect the lives of women and girls.
“We were constantly present among people to encourage positive change and introduce them to the problem of stereotypes and prejudice on the grounds of sex and gender as well as inter-sectional biases. We met women who face rumours about themselves and women who have not been directly affected. We encouraged them to share their opinions and take part in the battle against gender discrimination,” Zhaneta said.
All the campaign materials were provided in Macedonian and Albanian, and most were also in Roma and English.
Going viral on Facebook
When COVID restriction measures made in-person meetings all but impossible, the campaign switched gears entirely to virtual engagement, centred around its Facebook page, “Speak up against rumours!”
I wear a headscarf and rumours did not affect my career choice
These were some of the encouraging messages posted during the campaign. The campaign’s Facebook posts— photo quotes, video testimonials, cartoons and illustrations, stories and banners — attracted 11,000 followers and reached more than 3.6 million people from all walks of life.There are simply no male-only jobs! I am a woman. I am deaf. And I successfully run my own business. You can do it too!”
But the most important indicator of the campaign’s success was the women who may have gained a new sense of confidence and have been encouraged to embark on a career, follow a dream, dare to do what they otherwise might not have. Alenka Hasan, a migrant woman, summarized the campaign’s main message perfectly when she posted:
When you come across gender-based rumours, understand that the problem is with those who spread them, not with you. Be brave and confident and do not back down from your goals and plans. Because #EveryWomanCounts.