Enough Masarouna Illustration

Assignment:   Create a static narrative immersive illustration related to the content based on the dress code research. The storytelling will be during the 16 days of activism on Shorthand platform with text and infographics.

Closing date: OCTOBER 16, 2022                                      

Duration: TBC

Location: Home based

1. Introduction:

In the MENA region, 37 percent of women experienced some form of gender-based violence (GBV), compared to 30 percent globally. One of the main drivers of this phenomenon is the harmful social norms that control what women should or should not wear.

Two research papers (quantitative and qualitative) were commissioned by Oxfam MENA's regional platform to understand the impact of socials norms on women in the region:  Youth Perceptions of Women's Dress Codes and Gender-Based Violence in the MENA Region and Attire, assault, and inflicted moral values: Diaries of violence and resistance. The studies were conducted in 6 countries: Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Tunisia during the period between March and June 2022.

To accompany the launch of these reports, Oxfam is commissioning a series of illustrations to build an online scrolling story via our Shorthand microsite platform to create an accessible, visual, and compelling product that uses simple language and visuals to convey the findings of the briefs and the issues faced by the women interviewed.

2. Objective

Create an a series of up to 12 illustrated frames telling the stories of three characters, through the lens of three different themes.

The story of each theme and character will told by 2-3 illustrations with briefs scripts in each drawn from quotes found in the research.  Both the script and the narrative text weaving the stories together will be drawn from the report Attire, assault, and inflicted moral values: Diaries of violence and resistance.

Each character’s story will highlight a particular theme found in the report. The proposed themes are:

•Control; “you cannot easily break any rules or develop a support system that keeps you safe; you cannot secure a job that makes you financially safe. You will always have to do what the family dictates. In such circumstances, it is difficult for women to negotiate their clothing and appearance.”

•Censorship; “One time, I told my mother-in-law that my husband beat me whenever he did not like how I was dressed. She replied, ‘It is normal. We were beaten and swollen. You deserve to be hit when you do not abide by his word.’ My mother said to me, ‘Your husband is changing you a little, so what is the problem with that?’

•Conforming: “Every place has a dress code. If the workplace is full of men, I prefer my dress to be loose-fitting and not clinging to the body. I take all these considerations to avoid blame, and so if there ever was a problem, I am not told: “You were wearing such and such”

The project will be in English.

Oxfam hopes to use the product on the shorthand online platform that will be launched during the 16 Days of Activism in early December 2022.

3. Scope of Work:

Deliver 12 illustrated frames drawing from the proposed themes and telling the stories of three characters in a visual and compelling way. The scripting for the stories will be drawn from first person quotes found the report Attire, assault, and inflicted moral values: Diaries of violence and resistance.

For guidance on the expected look and feel pls see this example for guidance

https://stories-ebrd.com/zahara-story-egypt/

Look and feel must be energetic, engaging, edgy, youthful and colorful. Style should be creative and not ‘NGO’ style. Artists will be commissioned on based on personal style, not their ability to adapt to NGO-like branding

Target audience

• Online media (ie BuzzFeed, Vice)
• Oxfam existing and potential followers and supporters
• Partner followers and supporters
• Donor community
• Young women and feminist activists in MENA

The products objective is to be shareable and invite engagement on various earned and owned platforms.

4. Deliverables:

• 12 frames of illustration featuring 3 character, each characters theme will focus on a separate theme.
• Script based on the Oxfam brief, and developed in collaboration and signed off by Oxfam
• Editable files to use artwork for secondary content such as sharegraphics

The submitted offers should be in US dollar VAT exemption. The tendered should be able to issue an invoice if not they can submit Payment request in addition to deduction at source certificate or will deduct a percentage of the final payment according to the laws.

Payment will be processed once assignment is completed.

Experience required

• Experience developing similar visual products to illustrate research findings (including zines, webcomics or comics, share graphics…)
• Experience working on gender justice focused products
• Understanding of women’s rights and gender justice issues in the MENA region
• Working proficiency in English and Arabic.