the Lebanese Women Democratic Gathering- RDFL’s innovative campaign “Young 3arous” accelerated action against child marriage in the country by running a provoking social PR stunt.
Tackling the issue of child brides from an entirely new perspective, the “Young 3arous” campaign prompted the Lebanese nation into realizing that a proposed new law raising the legal age of marriage to 18, had still not been passed by Parliament.
Fake social media accounts promoting a matchmaking service for underage brides, Young 3arous, kicked off the stunt, driving interested parties to its website, from where actors then answered phone calls and took orders for the young brides profiled. For people unfamiliar with e-commerce, the matchmaking service offered its child bride assistance in a mall.
Lebanese citizens, activists and influencers quickly reacted, calling on authorities to shut down the service, likening the practice to human trafficking. The nation’s outrage was immediately covered by local and international media. More than 6 million people engaged with the campaign’s integrated efforts, putting pressure on the new government to review the draft law raising the legal age of marriage.
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