According to a powerful new campaign, 99% of women in Pakistan are denied at least one key marriage right in their Nikahnama (a marriage contract used by the global Muslim population).
The campaign highlights how this is an especially “staggering statistic in a country where women meticulously plan every aspect of their wedding.”). Ironically, this attention to detail from the bride, takes a backseat when it comes to the most important part of the wedding: signing the marriage contract.
“While religion allows a woman to stipulate multiple demands in her contract (i.e., the right to divorce without having to go to court, the entitlement to financial support from her husband, and the right to pursue employment or further education), said said Sevim Saadat, Co-Founder Centre for Human Rights.
Saadat adds, “Culture dictates that women are kept on the sidelines, with male officiants and male members of the family stepping up to decide what goes into it — going as far as callously crossing out the clauses that allow for the aforementioned rights — a practice that continues despite being criminalized by the law.”
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“The thorns worked as a haunting double entendre: the word kaanta in Urdu means both ‘thorn’ and ‘a cross on paper.’ This duality served as a reminder to women that every cross they allowed on their contract could be a potential thorn in their marital life,” Hira Mohibullah, Co-Founder and Creative Lead at And the Nerve.
“The jewelry was carefully crafted by breaking the harmony of traditional jewelry design, allowing for the disruption caused by the thorns: a piercing symbol of the damage these kaantay (thorns/crosses on paper) could cause in a woman’s married life,” said Fahad Hussayn, Director at The Menagerie
To prompt legislative action, unwearable bangles were sent out to parliamentarians so they could enforce and advance the existing law in their respective jurisdictions.
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Finally, to move the campaign to the grassroots level, CFHR partnered with Depilex (Pakistan’s leading chain of bridal salons). The film was played at 30+ locations on their internal network, prompting the girls to call the helpline.
With the wedding season still ongoing in Pakistan, the campaign has been able to educate women and their families to take back control- with the helpline already receiving multiple queries from brides-to-be wanting to understand their rights.
Credits
Client: Centre for Human Rights
Agency: AND THE NERVE
Strategy Director: Daniah Ishtiaq
Creative Director (Copy): Hira Mohibullah
Creative Director (Art): Fahad Hussayn
Jewelry: The Menagerie (by Fahad Hussayn)
Director: Ibrahim Baloch
Producer: Irtaza Zaidi
PR: Walnut Communications
Photography: Nadir Firoz Khan
Art Director: Habeeba Gillani
Onground Partner: Depilex
