"Young 3arous": a campaign to end child marriage in Lebanon
The Lebanese Women Democratic Gathering (RDFL) ran an innovative campaign, "Young 3arous", that sped up action against child marriage in Lebanon through a provocative social PR stunt.
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The campaign looked at child brides from an entirely new angle. It made the country realise that a proposed law raising the legal age of marriage to 18 had still not been passed by Parliament.
How the stunt worked
The stunt began with fake social media accounts promoting "Young 3arous", a matchmaking service for underage brides. The accounts sent interested people to its website. There, actors answered phone calls and took orders for the young brides on show. For people unfamiliar with online shopping, the service offered its "child bride assistance" in a shopping centre.
The public reaction
Lebanese citizens, activists and influencers reacted quickly. They called on the authorities to shut the service down and compared the practice to human trafficking. Local and international media covered the public outrage at once.
More than 6 million people engaged with the campaign. The pressure pushed the new government to review the draft law raising the legal age of marriage.