The creative idea was to expose entrenched attitudes within Tunisian society that lead many people, specifically men, to react with more outrage to nudity than the fact that the naked body in question bears the cuts and bruises of physical abuse.

We posted a picture of Amal’s naked and bruised body on Facebook to draw attention to the abuse she had endured. But the image offended more people because it showed a woman’s naked body than the fact that she had been beaten. Furthermore, Facebook removed the post in just one day, citing online regulations banning nudity. Determined to end the violence, we collaborated with ATFD, the oldest feminist association in Tunisia, and engaged the entire country through a social initiative called Warri, the Arabic word for ‘Expose’, dedicated to exposing images of these acts of violence. The Warri campaign started in December 2016 and is on-going with presences on Facebook and at its own website, where it continues to invite women to share their stories and images of abuse.

The cause was immediately championed by human rights activists and bloggers. Well-known actresses and journalists joined our cause, giving it a stronger voice. Prime time radio and TV shows invited many of those celebrities and public figures to explain their points of view, and the story was covered by websites from around the Arab world. In just 28 days, over 2,243,000 people were exposed to ‘Warri’ encouraging hundreds of women to end their shame, to be brave, and to post their pictures of abuse and share their stories. We are proud to announce that Facebook, despite their regulations that ban nudity, republished Amal’s image 3 weeks after they had initially taken the page down. Today ATFD is continuing to support the women of Tunisia through WARRI, changing their shame into acts of pure bravery.