Globally, 85% of women and girls have experienced or witnessed some form of online violence. In most countries, survivors have fewer legal protections than copyrighted IPs. To highlight this issue UNFPA launched Bodyright, a global campaign pushing social platforms to take the abusive use of female bodies as seriously as copyright infringements.
In the Republic of Moldova digital violence is a growing threat: every second adolescent reports being asked for sexually explicit images online, but only 60% are prepared to speak about it or seek help. A culture of victim-blaming and shame, a lack of information, and no clear recourse to protection leave women and girls especially vulnerable.
In response to UNFPA Moldova’s call for awareness raising efforts, Unbox Communication developed the “Bodyright: Without my consent, it’s not your content” integrated campaign. Our mission was to create a national movement against digital violence and mobilize support for legislative change.
Between November 2023 and March 2024, we focused on three objectives:
To localize Bodyright, we drew on the insight that 60% of Moldovan youth feel powerless against online violence. The absence of sex education in schools leaves important topics like consent and bodily autonomy largely unaddressed. By putting these issues front and center with the slogan "Without my consent, it’s not your content," our goal was to empower young people to reclaim control and advocate for change.
Our first objective was to create a cultural moment that would resonate with both Gen Z and the broader public. We partnered with popular singer Dara (58k followers), known for her socially-conscious work, to co-create a song and music video addressing the impact of digital violence. By launching "Neiubire virtuala" (Digital Unlove) during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, we strategically positioned the campaign to mobilize gender equality partners around the issue.
While teasers for “Digital Unlove” sparked online interest through UNFPA and celebrity influencer channels, 102 opinion leaders, journalists, public officials and IT industry representatives attended an exclusive pre-launch event. Our carefully crafted, immersive theatre performance and survivor stories moved attendees. On launch day, November 25th, their support helped Bodyright become the No. 1 trending topic across social and traditional media.
Young people sustained this momentum throughout the following weeks. They connected deeply with the song’s authentic portrayal of online harassment and its empowering message to “Let your colours shine.” “Digital Unlove” lyrics became a tool to dismantle victim-blaming culture, appearing in thousands of messages across Instagram and TikTok. Over 180,000 Gen Zers shared campaign assets and used the ⓑodyright symbol to design their own calls for change.
Throughout December, as the song’s popularity continued to grow, we entered the campaign’s second phase. Our goal was to deepen engagement by empowering young people to strategize their protection online.
We identified key cities that would allow adolescents from remote northern, central, and southern regions to participate. Between December and February, 560 young delegates joined us at 7 interactive workshops. Using over 8000 campaign materials, they explored the many forms of digital violence and formulated demands for legislative change.
By March, we faced our last challenge: transforming the voices of 180,000 youth ambassadors - 54% of young Moldovans online - into political change.
Building on the campaign’s success, we reached out to Moldova’s most influential women. On International Women’s Day we invited 19 opinion leaders, 11 politicians among them, to showcase their commitment in a powerful photo exhibit. "It’s Time to Set Boundaries Online" was not only a call for online safety, but a promise to the country’s youth. Six months later, it was fulfilled: the law protecting women and girls against violence was amended to include digital violence.
Authentic messaging, strategic use of celebrity influencers and channels like Instagram and TikTok, resonated widely with young people.
More than half of the country’s youth aged 13-17 shared key messages, more than 60% viewed campaign videos, and over a quarter of the Moldovan public showed their support.
The breadth of our digital activation (over 200 executions) translated into nationwide offline awareness-raising and contributed to better legal protections for women and girls.
VISIBILITY AND ENGAGEMENT
2.1M views
68% of young Moldovans online
512.4K likes
24% of Moldovan internet users
283.2K shares
54% of young Moldovans online
159k earned media impressions
ADVOCACY
560 youth ambassadors, 7 cities, 8.4K campaign materials
1 in every 12 shared campaign messages at their school
102 representatives of public and private institutions supported the campaign
Ministry of Internal Affairs, Council of Europe, British Embassy, Orange Moldova, Women Law Center and others.
19 influential women advocated for legislative change
Six months after the campaign, national legislation on protection against domestic violence was amended to include digital violence.
