Project Type
Client-commissioned

Agency
DDB Romania

Client Name
VIF Network

Client URL
https://violentaimpotrivafemeilor.ro/

My Role in This Project

This project was done within my first two months at DDB, where I recently joined as a CD. As I already had a long-time partnership with an NGO that was part of the VIF Network (Violence Against Women Network), I was aware of their recent struggles with eliminating virginity testing. I was outraged when I first acknowledged the fact that they still existed in Romania and I immediately knew I wanted to help.

So when I moved to DDB this was my first proactive brief and the idea came quickly. All I had to do was to convince the upper management in the agency to get on board with the subject, which was really polarizing and shocking. After I got their approval, I was the one who contacted the director and all the other involved parts.

The whole project ended up being created 100% pro-bono and we managed to bring on board some notorious names from within the film industry in Romania. The short film was directed by Iulia Rugina, a multi-awarded director who most recently co-directed the first Romanian series on HBO. The main role was played by uprising young actress Voica Oltean, the music was composed by Mihai Dobre, a veteran in Romanian music and the photographer of the project was Adi Bulboaca, another important name in the art industry.

The campaign also got picked up in pop-culture contexts such as generating a whole debate on Reddit, getting a satiric nod in Times New Roman (Romania’s equivalent of The Onion) and an illustrator even draw an unofficial poster for the movie, which made me really proud.

I was also actively involved in promoting the cause and I appeared in 5 Romanian prime-time news channels, including Euronews, talking about the campaign along the director and the network’s representatives.

Project Description
Context:
Although condemned by WHO as a violation of human rights, virginity testing is still performed in Romania among examinations conducted in legal-forensic facilities. This type of exam can still be performed at the request of parents who want to test their daughters, in exchange of a small fee. In 2019, these tests accounted for 2% of all examinations carried out by the National Forensic Institute, which means around 1.000 tests annually.

Idea:
As high-schoolers across Romania prepared to begin the Baccalaureate exam, a national evaluation that began on Monday, 6th June, we thought of raising awareness on the existence of another abusive exam that some teenagers still have to pass nowadays: the virginity exam, also called the “two-finger” test.

So we launched #UnExaminable, a campaign focused on an emotional video, which draws a parallel between the baccalaureate exam and virginity exams, in order to outlaw them.

The tearjerker video captures our protagonist’s anxious thoughts before what we think it’s a school exam, but the whole build-up leads to the reveal that the hardest exam for her is the virginity exam. The video urges people to sign a petition aimed at removing these tests from the legislation.


Results:
In the first day alone, all major media outlets picked up the story. #UnExaminable was featured on all important Romanian TV channels, reaching a total audience of almost 18 million viewers, with zero budget.

The petition gathered over 20.000 signatures in the first two days and after two weeks increased to 44.000 with almost no paid promo. Over 35 influencers joined the cause and shared our petition.

Most importantly, the Mina Minovici Institute of Legal Medicine was the first unit to no longer issue virginity certificates on request. The Family Minister applauded this decision and encouraged other units to follow through.