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Launched in 2010 as picture sharing became popular in other apps, Instagram has come a long way from its first days of artsy snaps. The app grew exponentially, first fuelled by the selfie craze and after by the company’s savvy strategy of working with brands and influencers. Boasting 2.35 billion monthly active users, it is one of three giants of social media, alongside Facebook and YouTube.

Instagram allows users to easily create powerful visual publications and has thus become an important tool for advocacy, raising awareness and sharing information. Activists no longer need costly production work to create impactful content and many use it to report on their daily work, spread striking data with effective visuals or make the most of the creative freedom it allows by constantly reinventing the way content is shared.  Despite legitimate concerns around its impact on mental health, especially for young women, Instagram has proven a powerful tool for story-telling and campaigning, as demonstrated by the Black Lives Matter movement in the US and campaigns like #metoo, #NiUnaMenos, #HeForShe or #YesAllWomen.  

With this in mind, The Pixel Project presents our second annual selection of 16 organisations and activists using Instagram in service of the cause to end violence against women. These are organisations from different countries and people with very different backgrounds, using Instagram across the world in very different ways, but sharing a common vision of a world where women and girls can live free of all forms of violence.

Introduction by Bernardo Rosa Rodrigues and Regina Yau; written and compiled by Bernardo Rosa Rodrigues.

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Instagram Follow Recommendation #1: 160 Girls project – Kenya 

Named after a 2013 Kenyan High Court Decision recognising girls’ access to justice and legal protection from rape, the 160 Girls Project is a legal initiative that aims to turn that decision into reality for all girls in Kenya. Their Instagram account depicts the different aspects of the initiative and how different activities are contributing to bringing about systemic change in Kenya, from improving education and skills to community building and individual empowerment, to name a few. 

 

Instagram Follow Recommendation #2: Acid Survivors Saahas Foundation – India

ASSF Acid Survivors Saahas Foundation is an non-profit organisation formed by acid victims, working to provide medical assistance to acid victims and to rehabilitate them along with their families. Founded in 2016 by Daulatbi Khan, herself an acid attack victim, its Instagram account showcases ASSF’s remarkable work raising awareness about these crimes but mostly their work supporting victims and helping them reconstruct their lives.

 

Instagram Follow Recommendation #3: Advocacy for Women with Disabilities Initiative AWWDI – Nigeria

AWWDI is an organisation led by and for women and girls with disabilities in Nigeria. The organisation is driven by the passion to empower over 20 million Nigerian women and girls with disabilities, particularly those marginalised and forgotten. Its Instagram account reminds followers that women and girls with disabilities are disproportionately the targets of violence but it also celebrates their strength and resilience.

 

Instagram Follow Recommendation #4: Cheer Up Luv – United Kingdom 

Eliza Hatch founded Cheer Up Luv after being told to “cheer up” by a stranger in the street. Cheer Up Luv is a globally renowned photo series and platform retelling accounts of street harassment and misogyny. The project combines photography with journalism, activism and social media. Counting over 155k followers, the Instagram account is a very well curated window into the harassment women continue to suffer today but also an empowering platform full of information and tips to fight back.

 

Instagram Follow Recommendation #5: Djirra – Australia 

Set up in 2002, Australian organisation Djirra offers practical support to all Aboriginal women, in particular to those who are currently experiencing family violence or have in the past. Their Instagram account reflects their varied work, including support activities to victims and their advocacy work to improve Aboriginal women’s access to justice, safety and equality.

 

Instagram Follow Recommendation #6: End Rape on Campus – United States of America

End Rape On Campus is a US organisation that works to end campus sexual violence through: direct support for survivors and their communities; prevention through education; and policy reform at the campus, local, state, and federal levels. Their Instagram account has over 12K followers and includes updates from their advocacy work, empowering messages, updates on their training and cultural activities, and practical tips to help women stay safe on campuses. 

 

Instagram Follow Recommendation #7: Ernestine’s Women’s Shelter – Canada 

Ernestine’s Women’s Shelter was opened in 1983 by a group of community members who saw a need for a safe place for women and children fleeing violence and abuse. Since then the group has supported over 15,000 individuals and children. The shelter’s carefully curated Instagram account showcases their work on advocacy, crisis intervention and provision of shelter. 

 

Instagram Follow Recommendation #8: Eyala – Africa-at-Large 

Eyala is a bilingual (French-English) platform that centres and amplifies the voices and lived experiences of African girls, women and LBTQI people who dare disrupt patriarchal norms across the continent and in diaspora communities. The platform was founded by Françoise Moudouthe, a French activist of Cameroonian origin who is passionate about the rights of African girls and women and CEO of the African Women’s Development Fund. Its Instagram account covers topics like gender justice, female genital mutilation and the lack of women representation in the public space.  

 

Instagram Follow Recommendation #9: GRIT – Gender Rights in Tech – South Africa 

Originally named Kwanele, GRIT’s mission is to increase conviction rates for gender-based violence (GBV) in South Africa through the collection, organisation and presentation of admissible evidence to the appropriate legal authorities. The organisation looks for ways to bring together tech-driven anti-GBV solutions and youth leadership and has developed an app as a support resource for people at risk of GBV in South Africa. Their Instagram account shares information about their work, training sessions and events as well as finding legal support for victims.

 

Instagram Follow Recommendation #10: Majlis Law – India 

Started by a victim of domestic violence in 1991, Majlis is an organisation consisting of a team of women lawyers, social workers, academicians and activists who work for the protection and promotion of women and children’s rights through legal representation, advocacy and training. Majlis’ Instagram account includes many individual stories of how abused, brave women found the support they needed to leave their violent partners and built safer, happier lives. 

 

Instagram Follow Recommendation #11: No Means No Worldwide – Worldwide

No Means No Worldwide is an international non-governmental organisation whose mission is to end sexual and gender-based violence against women and children globally. NMNW trains instructors in high-risk environments to deliver the proven No Means No curricula to girls and boys aged 10-20. They also work to increase girls’ and boys’ disclosure of experiences of sexual violence and provide referrals for comprehensive support. NMNW’s Instagram account uses creative visuals to report on their activities, announce training events, and share messages that empower women and encourage men to play their part in the fight to end violence against women and children.

 

Instagram Follow Recommendation #12: National Citizen Observatory on Femicide (OCNF) – Mexico

OCNF is a Mexican non-profit organisation focussed on raising awareness of femicide. They monitor and document cases of femicide while drawing attention to the lack of prosecution in these cases.  They use their Instagram account to increase the visibility of femicide cases, advocate for justice for victims, and inspire people to support women’s right to live a life free from violence.

 

Instagram Follow Recommendation #13: People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA) – South Africa 

POWA is a South African women’s rights organisation providing clinical, legal and sheltering services to survivors of domestic violence and rape. Set up in 1979, POWA was the first organisation in South Africa to establish a shelter for abused women in 1981. Their Instagram account offers a wide range of content, including self-help tips for recognising sexual and psychological abuse, as well as information about their advocacy work and their training activities.

 

Instagram Follow Recommendation #14: Safecity – India, Kenya, Cameroon, Nepal, and Malaysia

Working at the intersection of gender, urban design/planning and tech/data, Safecity crowdmaps sexual violence in public spaces. The platform aims to empower individuals, communities, police and city governments to create safer public and private spaces. Their Instagram account covers this and other initiatives of the Red Dot Foundation, which is working to make cities and communities safer through data-empowered mapping and strategies to end gender-based violence.

 

Instagram Follow Recommendation #15: Sistah Space – United Kingdom 

Founded in 2015, Sistah Space is an award-winning community-based non-profit initiative created to bridge the gap in domestic and sexual abuse services for African-heritage women and girls across the UK. Its Instagram account boasts 45k followers and covers political and local events impacting women of African heritage, as well as the charity’s activities.  

 

Instagram Follow Recommendation #16: Tarang Chawla – Australia

Tarang Chawla is an Indian-born Australian writer, lawyer and activist. He is the co-founder of Not One More Niki, a grassroots non-profit working to end men’s violence against women named in memory of his younger sister Nikita who was murdered by her partner in 2015. With nearly 80k followers, Chawla’s Instagram account is a powerful tool for raising awareness of VAW in Australia and beyond, and is packed with informative and engaging publications on men’s violence and gender equality, including from his regular interventions in the news.

All pictures used are Creative Commons images (from top to bottom):